The AMBER Alert system was created by the US Department of Justice to help recover abducted children. It broadcasts information about the child and kidnapper on various platforms, aiding recovery and acting as a deterrent. The system has helped recover over 200 children and is now in effect in all 50 states.
An AMBER Alert is part of a national alert system created by the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. It is designed to help expedite the recovery of children abducted by local, state and national law enforcement agencies. The AMBER Alert System can be traced back to 1996, when it first started in Texas following the abduction of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and pays tribute to Hagerman, who was tragically killed by her kidnapper.
In 2002, the AMBER Alert System became a nationally coordinated effort and is now in effect in all 50 states. The system works through the coordinated efforts of local law enforcement, broadcasters and public transportation officials. When law enforcement agencies determine that a child has been abducted, they issue a statewide AMBER Alert, which is then broadcast on television, radio, street signs, and even internet and wireless phone tickers. An AMBER alert interrupts all normal broadcast schedules.
Typical information included in an AMBER Alert broadcast includes the child’s name and full description, as well as where they were abducted from. If law enforcement suspects the kidnapper, which is common, they also provide information about them, including the type of car they might be driving and license plate numbers, if known. The alert provides a way for all citizens, public transportation officials, and law enforcement agencies to collectively be on the lookout for the child.
Since its inception, the AMBER Alert System has helped recover over 200 children. Research by the Office of Justice Programs indicates that not only does the AMBER Alert aid in recovery, but it also acts as a deterrent to child abductors who hear the alarm and subsequently release the child before being caught. Officials are currently working together to make the AMBER warning system a seamless nationwide network.
The AMBER Alert is undoubtedly a useful tool to protect America’s children. Further instruction on the danger and safety of strangers is important information that parents and educators can provide our children. As the old saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child” and the same to protect them.
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