Overhead message signs to display Blue and Silver Alerts

When issued by law enforcement, Blue and Silver Alerts will be displayed on overhead message boards like this one. When it comes to delivering important safety and travel info to motorists on the road, ADOT’s growing system of overhead message boards (193 of them statewide) helps get the job done. Now, those boards have a new task…

In addition to commute times, travel alerts and various safety messages, the digital signs will also inform drivers of Blue and Silver Alerts.

Don’t feel out of the loop if you don’t know what Blue and Silver Alerts are – they’re very new to Arizona and the laws outlining the alert notification system just went into effect.

Similar to AMBER Alerts, Blue and Silver Alerts are issued by law enforcement officials to notify and seek help from the public.

Silver Alerts will be issued following the report of a missing person who is 65 or older (there are several other conditions that must be met before a silver alert is issued – get all the details by reading the law’s entire text on the state legislature’s site).

Blue Alerts will be issued following an attack on a law enforcement officer if the suspect has fled the scene of the offense (again, there are several conditions that must be met – details can be found within the law’s text).

What to look for on the ADOT message signs

For a Silver Alert, the message will read “Silver Alert - Dial 511 For More Info.” If available, vehicle information also will be displayed.

Personnel in ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center will record a message for 511 with information provided by law enforcement. The messages on the overhead boards will be displayed until the person is found or a time limit of three hours has been reached.

For a Blue Alert, the overhead sign message will read “Blue Alert/License Plate #/Vehicle Description” followed by a second rotating message “Dial 511 For More Info.”

As with a Silver Alert, personnel in ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center will record a message for 511 with information provided by law enforcement. The messages on the overhead boards will be displayed until the suspect is apprehended or a four-hour time limit is reached.

For both Silver and Blue alerts, message boards will be used regionally (not statewide) depending on the area where a search is taking place.

You can learn more about how ADOT uses its overhead message boards by checking out our previous blog posts.