Cellphone Alerts Used in New York to Search for Bombing Suspect

All around New York City, cellphones blared Sept 19 with the dissonant, but familiar, tone of an emergency alert. But this time, the alert — typically used for weather-related advisories or abducted children — was different. For what is believed to be the first time, the nation’s Wireless Emergency Alerts system was deployed as an electronic wanted poster, identifying a 28-year-old man wanted in connection with the bombings in Manhattan and New Jersey. Suddenly, from commuter trains to the sidewalks of Manhattan, millions were enlisted in the manhunt. The message, probably received by millions, nearly at once, was simple: “WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen.” The messages are targeted to a cellphone’s location, so the alert was received by those in New York City, but not those in all parts of the state. A spokesman for the State Police said the decision to release the message came from the authorities in New York City.

There are three broad types of alerts in the national system: emergency alerts for storms and other threats to public safety; so-called Amber Alerts, which seek to enlist the public in a search for an abducted child; and those issued by the president. Cellphone users can opt to block all but the presidential alerts. The emergency alerts can be sent to the national system by federal, state or local authorities who have been authorized to do so and can include shelter-in-place instructions or evacuation orders precipitated by “severe weather, a terrorist threat or a chemical spill,” according to the Federal Communications Commission.