MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - On Oct. 3rd, 2015 Michigan implemented the Blue Alert Bill to help law enforcement officers be aware of potential threats against them. The system which is similar to an Amber Alert or a Silver Alert will give a public notification against criminals seeking to cause any kind of harm to a public safety officer.

“For the blue alert to be activated we have to have an officer involved in a shooting, injured or killed. We have a suspect information which would be a name, date of birth, vehicle description, and a partial plate in order to have a clear description of the potential suspect,” said Brad Bach, Investigations Sgt. of the Meridian Township Police Department.

The National Blue Alert System is ran by the Blue Alert Foundation, which is a nonprofit that supports the families of fallen police officers who have died in the line of duty. The law was named after two New York City police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu who were shot in their patrol car in December 2014. Michigan is currently the 25th state who has passed the Blue Alert Bill.

“Anytime you can get information out to residents in a quick timely manner it’s important, it’s for the safety of the law enforcement officers. Citizens can get the information quickly, disseminate it, and hopefully we can apprehend the suspect. In today's age with social media, information about assaults on police officers gets out quickly. Now officers have a less sense of security in their patrol cars and even police stations. We have to have our heads on swivel 360 at all times and make sure we're watching out for other officers, and Meridian Township,” said Bach.