STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN Re: Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding Emergency Alert System, PS Docket No. 15-94 Just last month, I had the distinct privilege of spending some time with the dedicated call takers and radio dispatchers of the Los Angeles Communications Center, the largest Highway Patrol dispatch center in the state of California. These mission critical men and women handle almost two million 911 calls each year, sending help our way when we are in distress, and offering hope when we need it the most. That dispatcher is the responding police officer’s lifeline, providing suspect descriptions, coordinating resources and sending back-up when necessary. There are times, however, when a dispatcher is performing these functions without access to critical information that could help save an officer’s life, and the lives of innocent bystanders. Information such as the retaliatory threat on Instagram which was later acted upon by the man who killed two New York City police officers on December 20, 2014. Those officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, are now painful symbols of the National Blue Alert Act which was signed into law two years ago by former President Obama. Today, the Commission commences a proceeding to realize the Blue Alert Act’s goals of “promot[ing] compatible and integrated Blue Alert plans throughout the United States.” In particular, we propose to revise the Commission’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules, to add a Blue Alert event code, which would be used in situations involving: the serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty; an officer who is missing in connection with his or her official duties; or an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause serious injury to, or kill, a law enforcement officer. We seek comment on this proposal, as well as a number of additional issues, including whether the current system could accommodate Blue Alerts as effectively as other types of alerts, how the public may respond to Blue Alert EAS codes, and what effect our proposal would have on Wireless Emergency Alerts. During life-threatening and dangerous situations, our nation’s law enforcement officers put their lives on the line. We appreciate those who have taken the oath to serve and protect our communities and understand that the job they perform each and every day is not an easy one. These brave men and women are asked to make rapid, life-altering decisions that can determine whether or not they get home to their families at the end of the day. We owe it to those officers who take and abide by that sacred oath to protect and serve, to uphold our public safety obligation of ensuring that those essential lines of communications operate in a uniform and consistent manner. To the newly appointed Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Lisa Fowlkes, and the Bureau’s hardworking staff, you have my sincere thanks for your continued efforts to enhance emergency communications.