WASHINGTON — The Ashanti Alert was signed into law over a year ago, yet nothing has been implemented by the Department of Justice, that's according to Virginia's Senators Mark Warner.
He sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr urging the agency to comply with the law and fully implement the Ashanti Alert system by the March 19 deadline.
The law said that a federal alert system will be created for missing or endangered adults between the ages of 18 and 64. It's named after 19-year-old Ashanti Billie, who was abducted in Norfolk on September 18, 2017, and found dead in North Carolina 11 days after she was reported missing. Ashanti had been too old for an Amber Alert and was too young for a Silver Alert.
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“I am profoundly disappointed that the Department has failed to implement the Ashanti Alert system in a well-organized and competent way. I look forward to the Department’s report and expeditious implementation,” wrote Sen. Warner.
Senator Warner has been a champion of the Ashanti Alert system. Since the alert was signed into law, he reiterated the need for the alert’s swift implementation in August, after a meeting with Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sullivan.
Warner has also previously demanded in-person meetings with the DOJ, repeatedly pressed the DOJ for implementation updates and urged congressional appropriators to provide full funding for the timely implementation of the Ashanti Alert.
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View Sen. Warner's full letter below: