Prince Alert a rare accomplishment for Wisconsin Legislature

The Wisconsin Legislature didn’t accomplish much this session. They left more unfinished business than they completed, and decided that less than two months work was enough for 2024. The Legislature adjourned last week, with no intention to return to Madison for the rest of the year. As a result, action on a number of items will have to wait until 2025. But one thing the Legislature did accomplish this session could help locate missing children. The Legislature passed what is called the Prince Alert, which establishes new criteria for issuing an alert for a missing child. It is named after a young boy in Milwaukee named Prince McCree who disappeared. But because police did not have a description of a possible suspect, Prince’s case did not meet the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert. As a result, no statewide alerts were sent, and McCree was later found dead. This new bill will allow police to issue alerts for children like Prince who go missing, even if they can’t provide a description of a suspect. This bill helps close the gap in our current procedures for locating missing children. Our Legislature may not have accomplished much in 2024, but increasing the chances that a missing child could be found alive and well is worthy of praise.