Texas Blue Alert triggers thousands of FCC complaints

The Federal Communications Commission has received thousands of complaints from angry Texans about an early morning alert on their cellphones about the shooting of a police chief last week.

Shortly before 5 a.m. on Oct. 4, the Blue Alert was issued to locate and arrest 33-year-old Seth Altman, the subject of a manhunt for the shooting of Memphis Police Chief Rex Plant in the Texas Panhandle.

The FCC said it received 4,500 complaints about the safety alert. It was not clear how the agency would handle the complaints.

Kentucky sheriff faces charges in fatal shooting. The judge was removed a few days earlier in the rape case

A Blue Alert has been issued for Seth Altman after he allegedly shot a Texas police chief during an attempted arrest. (Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management)

The FCC told Fox News Digital that it is not sending out the notifications, noting that its primary role is to issue technical and operational rules for the communications providers that deliver alerts to the public.

Plant and another officer served an arrest warrant for Altman at his home Thursday evening for an alleged burglary, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said. According to authorities, Altman opened fire and struck Plant before running away.

The police chief was flown to a Lubbock hospital where he remains in stable condition.

The Kentucky sheriff is seen in footage shooting the judge in a shocking preliminary hearing

Seth Altman, 33, is wanted in connection with the shooting of a Memphis, Texas, police chief during an arrest last week. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

Altman was added to the Texas Ten Most Wanted fugitives list and is wanted for attempted murder of a peace officer, DPS said. Gov. Greg Abbott offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Sheridan Nolen, the DPS spokesman, told Fox News Digital that Blue Alerts are intended to warn the public of possible dangers.

“They are designed to expedite the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers by generating tips and leads for investigative agencies, thereby giving those agencies the best opportunity to apprehend a dangerous criminal,” Nolen said.

On Monday, Wichita/Sedgwick County Crime Stoppers in Kansas said Altman may be in his area.

“Seth may be in the Wichita metropolitan area,” Crime Stoppers said in a Facebook post, noting he is about 6 feet tall, weighs about 220 pounds and wears glasses.

The Blue Law program was adopted into Texas law in 2008.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Criteria for sending the alert include, but are not limited to, when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured, when a suspect poses a serious danger or threat to the public, and when a detailed description of the offender's vehicle, vehicle markings, or part of the markings is provided must be available for public broadcast. The investigating law enforcement agency must also recommend this, according to the DPS website.