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Missouri Highway Patrol Mistakenly Sends Batman-themed Alert (apnews.com) 76

Posted by msmash from the not-the-onion dept.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol alert sent cellphones blaring statewide: Authorities in Gotham City, Missouri, were searching for a purple and green 1978 Dodge 3700GT. From a report: But there is no Gotham City, Missouri, and the car referenced was the one used by the Joker in the 1989 "Batman" movie. Soon after the Tuesday evening alert, the patrol sent another saying to disregard it. In a brief news release, the patrol said a routine test of Missouri's Blue Alert system was inadvertently transmitted statewide. The system is meant to let the public know when a police officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
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Missouri Highway Patrol Mistakenly Sends Batman-themed Alert More

Missouri Highway Patrol Mistakenly Sends Batman-themed Alert

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  • That's almost useful (Score:3, Insightful)

    by El Fantasmo ( 1057616 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @03:34PM (#62195445)

    How about an alert when a regular person is injured or killed in a cop's line of duty.

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @03:35PM (#62195449)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:WTF? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Rhipf ( 525263 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @04:30PM (#62195585)

      It is a system similar to an Amber alert to let the public know that they should be on the lookout for dangerous individuals (either to aid in the capture of said individual(s) or to avoid them). There are specific requirement before these alerts go out.

      III. BLUE ALERT CRITERIA

              A. Definition: (RsMO 650.520) A Blue Alert is authorized when:
                      1. a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty; or
                      2. an officer is missing in connection with official duties; or
                      3. there is an imminent and credible threat to kill or seriously injure a law enforcement officer; and
                      4. there is actionable information known about a suspect for a public notification to be helpful to law enforcement; and
                      5. the law enforcement agency involved requests or approves the alert being issued

      https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.... [missouri.gov]

      Take special not that the last two requirement are "and" requirements. This means that not only does an officer have to be in danger of being " killed or seriously injured in the line of duty" but there also has to be "actionable information known about a suspect for a public notification to be helpful to law enforcement" AND "the law enforcement agency involved requests or approves the alert being issued".
      If the information released isn't "helpful to law enforcement" then the alert shouldn't be issued.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by xalqor ( 6762950 )

      No, that's just the writer's opinion.

      Look at the text of the message, it's similar to an Amber alert. The obvious intent of this message is to inform people that a crime was just committed and that the police need urgent help looking for the suspect.

      If you disagree about what kinds of crimes should trigger an alert like this, talk to your city or county officials.

      • and it's wrong-headed thinking. We need alert when civilian killed and the murderer is on the loose. Of course, in some places that murderer would be the police.

        Police have dangerous job, we can learn of their deaths in the news.

        • I think the idea might be that someone killing a civilian may or may not be dangerous to others (often ppl kill, e.g., family members and 99.9% of the time aren't out on a "spree"), but someone who is armed enough and prepared-for-engagement-with-anyone enough to be taking on trained killing machines is someone to really be reckoned with and genuinely afraid of.

        • and it's wrong-headed thinking. We need alert when civilian killed and the murderer is on the loose. Of course, in some places that murderer would be the police.
          Police have dangerous job, we can learn of their deaths in the news.

          Uh... or both? So someone kills a cop in your vicinity and you're like "good, everything is fine, I'll listen to this tomorrow on the news", and not "Urgent police reform is needed and right now this motherfucker just killed a cop, is still armed, has questionable motivations and inhibitions, is probably engaged in an increasingly desperate evasion. Maybe I should GTFO now and post to /. later."

          Just trying to be clear, I mean, really man?

          • You're confused, in my area, Chicago, the police murder more often than get murdered, also they arrest pretty women and rape them and claim they were suspected prostitute, and also they pick fights and beat up civilians (including bar maids) in bar. All of this proven with cursory google news search.

            So tell me again to cry for the blue smurf that got whacked.

    • Just throw your phone in the trash, it will probably be a net benefit to society.
    • Are you a resident of Missouri? If not, then I suppose your tax dollars have nothing to do with it.

    • Re:WTF? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @05:54PM (#62195813)

      Are they going to send alerts when a cop dies from Covid? It was their number one cause of death for two years straight. https://www.npr.org/2022/01/12... [npr.org]

    • Bruh, this is for something in progress, like an amber alert.

      Duh.

      Like a dude just shot a cop, and maybe you should look out because people that do that might, IDK, also decide they need your car more than you do at the moment. The most hardcore defund the police bumper sticker isn't going to save me or you from someone that just shot a cop and is looking for an escape. Can we agree that police reform good and notifying the public about an imminent threat to their safety also good?

  • Test messages should be evident... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Entrope ( 68843 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @03:52PM (#62195499) Homepage

    Citing a fictional city and a fictional car is much better than blasting out something like [wikipedia.org]:

    BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

    • How about, I dunno.... TEST CITY and TEST VEHICLE ?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Entrope ( 68843 )

        That's less likely to be mistaken, maybe, but it's BORING. Most people have better things to do than sit around looking for things to say "That's Not Funny!" about.

  • The Batmobile lost a wheel.
    And the Joker got away?

  • This is right up his alley, clearly it was the Riddler.

    Also, timely given the new Batman movie.

  • an option was incorrectly selected do they use the same system that Hawaii used in 2008?

  • Good thing I'm not posting this on the live server, or else everyone one Slashdot would make fun of me.

  • inappropriate use of emergency channel (Score:4, Insightful)

    by worldthinker ( 536300 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @05:25PM (#62195695)

    I think it is a very inappropriate use of an emergency channel to announce the death or injury of a LEO without any other context. That information is not an emergency situation for the public. It does not help the public with regard to its safety or actions. This kind of news can be broadcast via news channels as well as Twitter etc.

    • Yeah this sort of thing is why I have all alerts disabled on my phone. These sorts of features get added with the best of intentions, but the combination of bureaucrats + political pressure invariably leads to abuse of any system like this.

  • Have you people not been to Missouri? Who's to say there isn't a green 1978 Dodge 3700GT driving around?

    • Given we're talking about Missouri - shouldn't the burden of proof be on the person making the claim?

      It is the "show me" state, after all.

  • At least it's not like when one of these things got outright hacked to warn of a zombie outbreak.

  • Robin (Score:2)

    by PPH ( 736903 )

    Holy send-to-all, Batman!

  • ... day, roflmao and kudo's to that dispatcher I love his/hers humor.

  • A little humor in work never hurts.

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