For more than 30 years, the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation (NOPJF) has answered the call when the City of New Orleans has faced urgent public safety challenges. Today, that commitment continues through the Foundation’s role in supporting the City’s new emergency alert system for vulnerable individuals. The “NOLA Alert” also referred to as a “Bryan Alert” is an initiative that grew from a motion originally introduced by then–City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, who now serves as Mayor of New Orleans.
The new alert system was launched in December 2025 to address a critical gap in public safety communications. While Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts are powerful tools, many vulnerable missing individuals do not meet the strict state or federal criteria required to activate those systems. As a result, some endangered people – including individuals with mental health conditions, developmental disabilities, cognitive impairments, or others believed to be at risk of exploitation or trafficking – may not receive the immediate public visibility needed to help bring them home safely.
Recognizing that gap, City leaders, the New Orleans Police Department Special Victims Unit, NOPJF, and community partners worked together to create a faster, broader, and more flexible emergency response effort focused on vulnerable missing persons.
Under this program, the NOPJF team responds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week whenever the NOPD Special Victims Unit issues one of these alerts. The Foundation immediately begins coordinating public awareness efforts that include:
- Designing and distributing digital billboard layouts for Lamar Advertising featuring the missing individual
- Sharing alerts across social media platforms
- Sending push notifications to members of the Ring Neighborhood community network
- Amplifying information through community partnerships and media outreach
Importantly, the NOPJF provides these services at absolutely no cost to the NOPD or the City of New Orleans.
A key partner in this effort is Lamar Advertising, whose team also responds around the clock to ensure billboard alerts are activated quickly across Orleans Parish and, when needed, neighboring parishes. Their partnership reflects a deep commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the New Orleans community. By rapidly displaying images and information throughout the region, the campaign dramatically increases public awareness during the critical early hours of a disappearance.
These alerts can be especially important in cases where individuals may be vulnerable to human trafficking or exploitation. Time is often the most important factor in safely recovering missing persons, and the ability to mobilize public attention immediately can make a life-saving difference.
This initiative represents another example of the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation stepping forward to solve complex public safety challenges facing the City. Throughout its 30-year history, the Foundation has supported innovative policing tools, officer wellness programs, technology upgrades, youth initiatives, crime prevention efforts, and emergency response programs that strengthen public safety for all New Orleanians.
The vulnerable persons alert program demonstrates what is possible when public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector partners come together with a shared mission: protecting the people of New Orleans and bringing vulnerable individuals home safely.
