The system would spread important information about law enforcement officers hurt or killed in the line of duty in an attempt to make catching the perpetrators easier.

[5] The National Blue Alert Act of 2013 directs the United States Attorney General to establish a national Blue Alert communications network within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.

The Attorney General is also ordered to assign an existing DOJ officer to act as the national coordinator of the Blue Alert communications network.

First, the guidelines must provide that appropriate information relating to a Blue Alert is disseminated to officials of law enforcement, public health, and other agencies.

On January 25, 2013, it was referred to the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations.

[9] After President Barack Obama signed the bill in May 2015, 27 states had blue alerts as of December 2023, according to the Center for Missing Persons.