The Hall County, Texas blue alert that alarmed everyone, explained
Just before 5:00 a.m. in Texas, people across the state were pulled from their slumber by an unexpected alarm. It was a blue alert, something intended to aid authorities in finding people that are suspected in a crime related to injuring law enforcement. The alert went out to search for a 33-year-old in Memphis, Texas, a part of Hall County, after a police officer was injured in a shooting Thursday night.
Recipients of the blue alert were warned to look out for 6-foot-2 Seth Altman, but told not to approach him and instead call the authorities. The system is designed to warn residents of potential public safety issues, including the more common AMBER Alerts or Silver Alerts for missing people.
But for a lot of Texans, the message was a jarring way to wake up.
Yes, we definitely needed a "Blue Alert" waking up the entire state of Texas at 4:50 AM for an incident that occured an 8 hour drive from me. They really just told me to look out for a middle aged white man wearing Blue Jeans…in Texas…
— Chris Wetz (@CWRacing71) October 4, 2024
No better alarm clock than a blue alert amirite pic.twitter.com/kgZetYAU5t
— Avery Tomasco (@averytomascowx) October 4, 2024
Nobody:
Not a single soul:@TexasDPS1 Blue Alert at 4:53 AM this morning. pic.twitter.com/xzGYRdfuOk
— Chase Gilmer (@datboizilla) October 4, 2024