BY JADA SIMON
On October 5, the Committee on Women and Gender Equity passed Resolution 0475 to reduce the number of domestic violence victims. The Resolution calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to create a “purple alert system” for missing victims of domestic violence.” It was a unanimous vote of 6-0.
Currently, the city has three alert systems for missing college students, children under the age of 21 and cognitively impaired adults. With this new emergency alert system, many public entities will be notified.
“Within minutes of an alert activation, information about the person is distributed to police agencies, the media, New York State Thruway Authority signs and plazas, New York State Department of Transportation highway signs, airports, bus terminals, train stations, hospitals, social media, and other locations,” according to Resolution 0475.
This way of dissemination is meant to mimic New York State’s current AMBER Alert System, since it has been proven successful. “In nearly 7 of every 10 AMBER Alert cases, children are successfully reunited with their parents and in just over 17 percent of cases, the recovery is a direct result of the AMBER Alert,” according to the resolution.
“The Purple Alert Bill” is actually inspired by a domestic violence case involving a woman named Destini Smothers. Smothers was found dead in the back of her car in Queens on March 10, 2021 after having an argument with her partner months before. Destini and her partner lived in Troy, New York which called for coordination between law enforcement in New York State and Troy, but Smothers’ family believes that she is dead because both departments did not put in the effort to save her in a timely fashion.
“The case was not taken by law enforcement until Destini had been missing for nine days,” says a statement in support of Smothers by the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “Between the time Destini went missing and when she was found, her family reported major issues in communication between law enforcement agencies in Troy, New York City, and New York State, as well as a lack of urgency and willingness to engage her family.”
“The Purple Alert” bill was then proposed to prevent a recurrence of tragedies such as this one by requiring law enforcement agencies to work together, make the public more aware of these situations and be more supportive of families of missing domestic violence victims.
The commissioner will appoint a statewide coordinator that will decide how law enforcement should determine and report a domestic violence victim and the proper way for that information to be distributed by an individual or an entity, according to the New York State Senate website.
To end the meeting, Councilwoman and prime sponsor of the “Purple Alert” bill, Amanda Farias said, “Creating an emergency alert system specifically tailored to address missing persons in cases of domestic violence is an indispensable solution. We know that timely intervention can be a matter of life and death for victims trapped in abusive situations,” said councilwoman Farias. “This alert can act as a beacon of hope, a lifeline that brings swift assistance to those who need it most.”