Bipartisan Wisconsin law expands to improve state's missing child alerts system

Nearly two years after a state law named for Prince McCree filled gaps within the state's missing child alerts system, lawmakers again expanded eligibility to cover children up to 12 years old.

The state budget, signed in summer, provided $319,300 and two staff positions to help the state Department of Justice issue alerts. Lawmakers originally limited the alerts to children under age 10 due to funding concerns and staffing capacity.

Those new resources led Democratic Sen. LaTonya Johnson and Republican Sen. Jesse James, both authors of the initial law, to introduce an update in September . Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed the law March 6, along with other bipartisan measures .

"No family should have to be told that their child does not qualify for a public alert. By expanding this system, we are making sure more children can benefit from a rapid public response when they go missing," Johnson said in a statement.

Prior to the Prince Act, Amber Alerts could only be issued if law enforcement had enough information about a suspect. That meant Amber Alerts weren't sent for Prince McCree from Milwaukee, despite requests from his family and police, and 10-year-old Iliana "Lily" Peters from Chippewa Falls .

Both the original law and update saw strong bipartisan support in the state Legislature.

"Keeping our kids safe is not a partisan issue, and I am so thankful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that helped get these measures across the finish line," James said in a statement.

Prince was five years old when he was killed in October 2023 . Erik Mendoza, who was 16 at the time when prosecutors say he helped then-27-year-old David Pietura beat Prince to death, pleaded guilty to the crime last month .

The law now allows alerts for children ages 10 or 11 if:

• The child's location is unknown

• The alert is sent within 72 hours of their disappearance

• The child's situation does not qualify for another alert

• The child has been entered as missing into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

• There is sufficient information available to release to the public that could assist in finding them

Like the previous law, the alerts also apply for children up to 18 if they cannot return home due to a physical or mental condition or disability.

Missing Child Alerts are typically sent to phones within a five-mile radius of the child's last known location between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. In dense urban areas, the radius is smaller to prevent people from becoming desensitized to them.

In the first year since the 2024 law, the state DOJ approved 17 Missing Child Alerts for 14 children, compared to just four Amber Alerts for five children in the same time frame.

Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Prince Act expands to OK Missing Child Alerts up to age 12