Texas Cell Phone Users Get ‘Blue Alert’ on Phone, Here’s What it Means

Those with cell phones in Texas were surprised early Friday morning when they received a "Blue Alert" on their phone and many were left asking what a Blue Alert means.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued the alert Friday morning as police were looking for a suspect out of Memphis, Texas.

Authorities were searching for Seth Altman who had an incident with law enforcement and they alerted people across Texas about who they were looking for and what they should do if they spot the suspect.

The alert on phones told people in Texas not to approach the suspect, but rather to call 911 if they see him.

Blue Alerts are often issued when authorities need help locating a suspect and if it sounds familiar it's because the alert is used much like the Amber or Silver Alerts when someone is missing.

Not every state uses the "Blue Alert" to notify people of those wanted by police, but it is a great tool for authorities when looking for someone that they may deem a danger to society.

For a Blue Alert to be sent across the state, an officer had to have been injured or killed in an incident and a detailed subscription of the suspect is needed

So, for those who were alarmed by the alert, you now know why it came across your phone early Friday morning in Texas.