The statewide Turquoise Alert was initially touted as a way to swiftly disseminate info about Indigenous peoples who've gone missing. But the first-ever alert issued in Arizona this week highlighted how lawmakers expanded criteria beyond the framers' intent.

Arizona has four types of emergency alerts that can be activated when other law enforcement methods have been exhausted.

A Turquoise Alert has been issued for a 6-year-old girl who was last seen in Arizona with her mother, who does not have custody of her. The Arizona Department of Public Safety said that mother Sarah Coultas is alleged to have fled from Hawaii with her daughter Violet, in violation of a court order.