Navajo Nation backs federal Amber Alert legislation
THE DAILY TIMES VIA AP / 2016
Klandre Willie, left, and her mother, Jaycelyn Blackie, participated in a candlelight vigil for Ashlynne Mike at the San Juan Chapter House in Lower Fruitland, N.M. Her abduction raised questions about gaps in communication and coordination between tribal and local law enforcement.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. >> A panel of lawmakers on the nation’s largest American Indian reservation is throwing its support behind federal legislation that would expand the Amber Alert child abduction emergency notification system to tribes across the U.S.
One of the standing legislative committees on the Navajo Nation voted this week in favor of a measure that supports the congressional legislation.
The legislation is in response to the 2016 deadly abduction of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike on the Navajo Nation.
The high profile case raised questions about gaps in communication and coordination between tribal and local law enforcement.
Tribal members have testified about the need for the Navajo Nation to establish its own comprehensive system to remain accountable and responsible for the protection of Navajo children, rather than relying on state entities.
