AMBER Alert System: news and information

[LINDA]

http://www.clippertoday.com/pages/full_story?page_label=home_top_stories_news&id=676930-AMBER-Alert-creates-miracles-&article-AMBER-Alert-creates-miracles-%20=&widget=push&instance=secondary_stories_left_column&open=&

AMBER Alert creates ‘miracles’

Nov 18, 2008

DAVIS COUNTY — It may take a village to raise a child, but sometimes it takes an entire nation to bring one home.

The Davis Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Professional Leadership Committee presented Paul Murphy, Utah’s AMBER Alert coordinator, with a $5,000 donation at a luncheon held late last week at the Davis Conference Center. Elaine Runyon-Simmons, Ed and Elizabeth Smart were also on hand to emphasize the importance of the AMBER Alert System, a nationwide program that spreads information about abducted children to help bring them home.

“Every day there are new miracles that happen because of the AMBER Alert,” said Murphy. Since first becoming a national program in October 2002, the alert has helped save the lives of 426 children.

It also relies on the help of donations to keep running. “After six years, the state budget for the program is still $0,” added Murphy.

In Utah, the program actually began as the Rachael Alert system, named in honor of Rachael Marie Runyon. The three-year-old Sunset girl was kidnapped and killed in 1982, which inspired her mother Elaine to help begin a system that would alert the community about an abducted child so that everyone could help join in the search.

Utah first adopted the Rachel Alert in early 2002, and Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping was the first state case to utilize the alert.

“I’m glad that the world took notice because of the Elizabeth Smart case,” said John Walsh, in a special AMBER Alert video shown at the luncheon. The state changed the Rachel Alert to the Amber Alert in early 2003 to avoid confusion. “It helped make everyone more aware of how vulnerable our children really are.”

Ed Smart, who had not heard of the Rachael Alert before his daughter was kidnapped, later lobbied to get the AMBER Alert passed nationally.

“The AMBER Alert is all about awareness,” he said. “It’s because of awareness that Elizabeth came home.”

There are four criteria that a case must meet before law enforcement are willing to issue an AMBER Alert, including whether the child is age 17 or younger, whether there is evidence that the child has been taken, whether there is reason to believe the child will be facing serious bodily harm or death, and whether there is information that could be released to the public (description of a vehicle, etc.) that would help assist in the search for the child.

After an AMBER Alert has been issued, word goes out onto television stations, highway and other electronic signs, and a variety of other media including cell phone alerts. To sign up to be part of the cell phone alert list, please visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org.

For cases that don’t specifically meet these four criteria, Utah has also set up an Endangered Person Advisory that can be issued in cases where the person is either older than 17 or there is no proof that they’ve been taken. It was an Endangered Person Advisory in Missouri, inspired by the one in Utah, that found Ben Oenby and Shawn Hornbeck in early 2007.

“To this day I’m still amazed at everything that goes on when a child is missing,” said Elizabeth Smart, currently a music major down at BYU. “I don’t think there’s anything more important than protecting a child.”

[Jenn]

http://ourtribune.com/article.php?id=6293

Texas Center for the Missing Launches Missing Children's Poster Contest in Texas

Monday, January 12, 2009

Today, Texas Center for the Missing is launching the statewide level of a national poster contest which focuses on the theme: Bring Our Missing Children Home. With over 400 children returning home safely since the AMBER Alert program began, we chose AMBER Alert Awareness Day to initiate conversations with students about safety and to involve them in a national competition for the National Missing Children's Day Poster Contest.

The U.S. Department of Justice, through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Child Protection Division, sponsors this annual contest for 5th grade students to develop artwork that will represent America's united goal to bring missing children home safely.

The winning artwork at the national level is displayed at the National Missing Children's Day ceremony, to be held on or about May 25th. The national winner travels to Washington, DC, along with his/her parents and teacher to receive an award and participate in the ceremony. It is a fitting time for our 5th grade students to focus on this project. As the nation remembers two children who represent missing children everywhere, Amber Hagerman and Etan Patz, we also celebrate the safe homecomings of children everywhere. Texas Center for the Missing invites all schools (public, private, or home) to participate in this unique contest. A Fact Sheet with additional details regarding the Texas statewide contest can be found at: http://www.thetexascenter.org/5th_Grader_Posters/2009_Contest_Fact_Sheet-Texas.pdf.

"It is extraordinary to give our students an opportunity to compete nationally in an art contest of such importance, especially as it gives Texas educators a chance to teach them more about their safety," said Beth Alberts, Texas Center for the Missing CEO "We know that there is great talent in our area and we hope to send one of our local students to Washington, DC."

About:

AMBER Alerts and Amber Hagerman: The Amber Alert Program began in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children. The Amber Alert was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered. Other states and communities soon set up their own Amber plans as the idea was adopted across the nation. For more information about the Houston Regional Amber Program, visit www.amber-plan.net.

National Missing Children's Day and Etan Patz: On May 25, 1979, 6-year-old Etan Patz grabbed his school books and gave his mother a goodbye kiss before leaving to catch the bus to school. Etan's mother was never to see him again. In the years that followed, Etan became the symbol for lost children across America. Then, in 1982, President Reagan proclaimed May 25, the anniversary of Etan's disappearance, as National Missing Children's Day.

Texas Center for the Missing is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to offering help, and hope, to the missing and their families. As the administrator of the Houston Regional Amber Alert, Texas Center for the Missing trains law enforcement on the Amber Alert system and provides 24-hour support and consulting to law enforcement agencies in the 13-county region in and around Houston. Safety education programs are also offered to the community to prevent Internet lures and child abductions, including S.A.F.E. child puppet shows, missing child prevention for parents, and Internet safety for all ages. Visit www.thetexascenter.org to learn more.

P.O. Box 420148  Houston, TX 77242-0148  (p) 713.599.0235

www.thetexascenter.org

[Jenn]

http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=172618&TM=67456.22

1/12/2009 6:11:00 PM    

Today is AMBER Alert Awareness Day

The Ohio AMBER Alert Plan is a critical missing child response program that uses the resources of law enforcement and media to notify the public when children have been abducted or kidnapped. Its goal is to promptly involve entire communities in the search and safe return of abducted children. Ohio AMBER Alert Plan began November 2002 and was officially established by the Legislature in January 2003. From 2002 to December 2008, Ohio has issued 105 AMBER Alerts which aided in the safe recovery of 125 children.

When an Ohio AMBER Alert is issued, law enforcement and media outlets implement the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to air the description of the missing child(ren) and suspected abductor. That information is broadcasted on local television and radio stations, Ohio Department of Transportation highway message boards and digital billboards.

Today is National AMBER Alert Awareness Day. The Missing Children Clearinghouse of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Ohio Amber Alert Steering Committee announces their participation with National AMBER Alert Awareness Day, and encourages the public’s participation as well.

In recognition of National AMBER Alert Awareness Day, the Ohio AMBER Alert Steering Committee, in conjunction with basketball season, is initiating a program called “Time-Out for AMBER Alerts.”

“We are requesting that all schools take a minute or less during basketball games to promote the wireless Amber Alert notification program” said Mark Patchen, chair of the Ohio AMBER Alert Steering Committee and division director of Ohio EMA’s Technical Support, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. “Technology now exists to specifically target zip code areas and send text messages to cellular devices when an AMBER Alert occurs. This target technology ensures the alert is focused on the area where we need everyone’s help to locate the abducted child.”

The Ohio AMBER Alert Steering Committee is constantly in search of new and improved ways to rapidly provide law enforcement information about an adducted child and of communicating AMBER Alerts to the greatest number of people when a child is abducted. Although the Emergency Alert System (EAS), faxes, teletypes, and highway sign boards do a good job in getting the mass message out, more can be done on an individual basis.

Local schools are still being asked to participate in the National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest. Elementary school teachers are encouraged to help their students learn how to be safe and stay safe. The theme for the 2009 National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest is “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” Holly Ritter of Hinckley was the first place state winner of the 2008 National Missing Children’s Day poster contest. Her poster is displayed on the Ohio Amber Alert Web site.

For the 2009 fact sheet, contest rules and applications, visit the Ohio’s Amber Plan Web site at www.ohioamberplan.org/press.aspx.

For more information on Ohio AMBER Alert or Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse, visit the following Web sites: www.ohioamberplan.org or www.ag.state.oh.us/victim/mcc.asp.

Safety Tips for Parents and Children:

• Teach your children their full name, your full name, their address and telephone number.

• Know the routes your child takes to and from school and other activities.

• Participate in a neighborhood watch program.

• Before placing your child in a daycare, preschool, youth organization or at baby sitter, check references, certifications and qualifications. Ask the facility if it conducts pre-employment background checks.

• Teach your child what to do if approached by strangers. Common approaches include offering a ride, gifts or candy; asking the child to look for a lost pet; or claiming that the child’s parents asked him or her to bring the child home. Have a code phrase that only you, your child and select family members know.

• Listen to your child. Do not disregard his or her fears.

[Jenn]

http://ourvalley.org/news.php?viewStory=3749

JANUARY 13 IS NATIONAL AMBER ALERT DAY

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009 marks the 13th anniversary of AMBER Alert Awareness Day. The alert program, named after Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas who was abducted on that day in 1996, has lead to the safe recovery of 432 children, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Through a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies, an urgent bulletin is activated in the most serious cases within the critical first three-hours of a child’s abduction and gives communities the opportunity to assist in the search for and safe recovery of children.

In 2005, the Wireless AMBER Alerts Initiative enabled the public to receive alerts via text message on their wireless devices. Wireless AMBER Alerts have the potential to reach 84 percent of the public with over 262 million cell phone subscribers in the United States.
U.S. Cellular reminds cell phone users that they can sign up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts via text message – free of charge.

To Sign Up For Wireless AMBER Alerts:
1. Visit www.uscellular.com, click on About us, Wireless AMBER Alerts, visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org, or text the word AMBER followed by a space and your 5-digit zip code to short code 26237.
2. Sign up to receive AMBER Alerts in your area by selecting the area(s) you are in most frequently.
3. Law enforcement issues an AMBER Alert and provides the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with the information to include in the alert.
4. NCMEC formats the AMBER Alert information, which is relayed to U.S. Cellular.
5. This information is sent as a free text message.
6. You will only receive AMBER Alerts by enrolling in the program.
7. If you have information on a missing child call the NCMEC toll-free Hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678) 24-hours a day.
About U.S. Cellular

The 8,700 associates of U.S. Cellular believe a wireless phone enhances people’s lives and a wireless company should be in the business of bringing people together. U.S. Cellular has a wide range of monthly plans, including those with unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited free incoming calls and options to prepay. The company has a growing catalog of phones like the BlackBerry® Pearl and Curve, and the touch-screen Samsung Delve, which offer e-mail and Web access. Based in Chicago,

U.S. Cellular is the nation’s sixth-largest wireless carrier, serving 6.2 million customers across the country. To learn more about the company visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com.

[Jenn]

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/13/n6554615426-bn13amber/?zIndex=36592

Regional toll-free number unveiled for Amber Alerts

3:42 p.m. January 13, 2009

SAN DIEGO – The Sheriff's Department on Tuesday unveiled a new regional toll-free number designed to make it easier for the public to report tips about abducted children.

The public can now call (877) 3KIDSAFE and their information will go directly to the law enforcement jurisdiction in the county handling the kidnapping, said Sgt. Mark O'Connor, sheriff's Amber Alert coordinator.

The intent is to provide information and tips directly to detectives searching for abducted children and to give the public an easy number to remember.

“In Amber Alerts, time is of the essence,” O'Connor said. “Statistics show that when a child is abducted and killed, 74 percent are killed within the first three hours.”

San Diego is the first city in the state to utilize a regional number that can be quickly transferred to the appropriate agency. All 13 law enforcement agencies in San Diego County are participating, O'Connor said.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Amber Alerts have been responsible for the return of 432 children nationwide and 176 in California since the program began 13 years ago.

It was created after the Jan. 13, 1996, abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas, who was riding her bike near her grandparents' home when she was kidnapped.

Her body was found four days later in a creek bed with her throat slit.

Jan. 13 is National Amber Alert Awareness Day.

O'Connor said that the new number is not meant to replace 911, and that if someone spots a child being abducted or a suspect, they should call the emergency number.

But after an Amber Alert is issued, officials can receive thousands of tips regarding sightings and other information that has to be recorded and evaluated, and the new number will help expedite that process, O'Connor said.

“When the eyes and ears of the community are looking for a child, we have a better ability to recover that child safely,” he said.

As officials were announcing the new phone number, an Amber Alert was issued for a girl abducted in San Jose. O'Connor said a man who took the child dropped her off unharmed after seeing the alert on a Caltrans sign.

The sergeant said more reports like that are coming in from throughout the country.

[LINDA]

http://stjoechannel.com/content/fulltext_news?cid=50111

Amber Alert Awareness Day

Jan 13, 2009

It was a story that captured the national spotlight just months ago.

"Without the amber alert going out i probably would not have made it back," said Paige Alley.

For nine days Lathrop teens Paige Alley and Levi Carlson went missing leading authorities on a nationwide search before a national Amber Alert brought them safely back home

"She was in a very dangerous situation," said Paige's father Jeff Alley. "She wanted out of it and didn't know how to get out of it."

Jeff Alley credits the Amber Alert effort for saving his daughters life.

"Nine days in cold doesn't exactly work," said Paige. "Cold and hungry and worrying for your own life and anyone who's with you. I only made it through with the grace of God.

The Amber Alert celebrates its 13th anniversary as voluntary program between law enforcement agencies and broadcasters.

The alert activates an emergency bulletin when a child has been abducted.

"It's huge to our society," said Jeff Alley. "It brought our daughter back to us and I've seen it work in other cases. If it brings one child back it was worth it. How do you put a value on a life.

While the Alley family is eternally thankful and Paige is doing well as a high school freshman and member of the Kansas City Youth Symphony, Jeff thinks the Amber Alert system still has a margin for improvement.

"When it was started it was started for one reason, for small very small children," he said. "But when you have a 14 year old daughter go missing you don't care what the reason is you just want her back."

The alert program is credited with the successful recovery of 432 children since the Amber Alert was created in 1996.

[Kathylene]

http://codeamber.org/news/pr_060109_1200_code_amber_lextech.html

Code Amber News Service iPhone App to Aid in Search for Missing Persons

The Vision
GTX Corp wants to expand the alerting capabilities of their Code Amber News Service by sending real-time alerts of missing persons to a variety of mobile platforms.

The Product
Lextech engineers are currently developing the iPhone app, Code Mobile. The app promises to deliver real-time alerts to a subscriber about incidents in their area, using the phone's physical location to pinpoint relevant data. As a missing person alert or Amber Alert is reported, thousands of users in the area will be notified simultaneously, transforming the once passive process of visiting a website or driving by (and noticing) a marquee into a proactive alert sent directly to subscribers.

The Revenue
Code Mobile is an exception to Lextech's revenue-centric approach to iPhone app development. The Code Amber News Service champions the public interest rather than profit. Their business model relies on sponsorships to cover the cost of alert delivery. The Lextech team is proud to participate in a project that will promote social awareness and aid in the recovery of missing persons.

For info on other projects, visit www.lextech.com/projects
today.

For info about Code Amber News Service, visit www.codeamber.org.

[Jenn]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-amber-alert-symposium-seeks-to-improve-responses-to-missing-and-abducted-children-108425979.html

National AMBER Alert Symposium Seeks to Improve Responses to Missing and Abducted Children
 
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

The seventh annual national AMBER Alert Symposium, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), opened today in Phoenix, Arizona.  The three-day training conference will include sessions highlighting expansion of the AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert system in tribal communities and along the U.S. southern border, Child Abduction Response Team (CART) updates and specialized investigative techniques in child abduction cases.  Federal, state, tribal and local representatives from the United States, as well as international partners from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, will attend the conference.

To date, 525 abducted children have been brought home safely as a direct result of an AMBER Alert.  All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and 15 tribes have AMBER Alert plans.  Additionally, OJP is providing training and technical assistance to expand child recovery efforts in tribal communities.

"Keeping the AMBER Alert system vital and powerful relies on the work of many partners and supporters," said Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General for OJP and National AMBER Alert Coordinator.  "Our ongoing commitment is to improve and strengthen the AMBER Alert network to protect all children and rescue them if they are abducted or missing." 

Child abduction victims and their families are a major focus at the symposium.  Diena Thompson, mother of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who was kidnapped and killed in 2009, will join other families to share experiences and offer insights on bringing abducted children home.

OJP will present awards for outstanding accomplishments in strengthening the AMBER Alert program in the following categories:

    * AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Year:  Lieutenant Charles Fleeger -- Lieutenant Charles Fleeger, of the College Station Texas Police Department, AMBER Alert Coordinator for Texas Region 3, has dedicated countless hours to developing a Child Abduction Response Team (CART) for a seven-county region in Texas.  Lt. Fleeger's meetings and trainings for CART team members and other law enforcement personnel have ensured the success of the regional Brazos Valley Child Abduction Response Team.

    * AMBER Alert Broadcaster/Media Person of the Year:  Dennis Lyle -- Dennis Lyle, CEO/President of the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA), has been a partner with the Illinois AMBER Alert program since its development in 2001.  As a member of the Illinois AMBER Alert Task Force, he hosted the June 2010 task force meeting during the IBA annual conference and brought the Newsplex training�a system allowing access to multiple news-servers simultaneously by merging content into one single virtual news-server�to Illinois in 2010.

    * AMBER Alert Law Enforcement Leadership Award:  Eric Garcia -- Lieutenant Eric Garcia, Public Information Officer and Associate Broadcast Media Coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and AMBER Alert Coordinator for New Mexico, provides education and training on AMBER Alert laws, regulations, and protocols. He has conducted more than two dozen AMBER Alert training sessions this year, participated in the Media Broadcast Association's training sessions, and provided training to the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy Dispatcher Schools. 

    * AMBER Alert Citizen Award:   Mike Grant -- Mike Grant, of Milton, New Hampshire, responded to an alert for a 2-year-old girl on November 9, 2009.  The girl's father abducted her after breaking into her mother's home and assaulting her mother. Mike Grant heard the AMBER Alert, issued throughout Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. When Grant recognized the pickup truck described in the alert, he approached the vehicle and convinced the girl's father to turn himself in to the police.  The girl was rescued and reunited with her mother.

    * AMBER Alert Citizen Award:  Victor Perez -- Victor Perez, of Fresno, California responded to an AMBER Alert for an 8-year-old girl who was abducted in a truck from her Fresno home. When Perez saw the truck, he drove his own vehicle in front of it, stopping the driver.  The perpetrator pushed the child out of his truck and sped away.  The California Highway Patrol later apprehended the perpetrator.  The girl was reunited with her family.


The AMBER Alert system began in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children. The system was created in memory of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas who was abducted while riding her bicycle and later found murdered. AMBER Alerts are emergency messages broadcast when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger.  For more information about the AMBER Alert program, visit amberalert.gov. 

The symposium continues through Thursday, November 18, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, 122 North Second Street, Phoenix, AZ.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims.  OJP has seven bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).  More information about OJP and its components can be found at http://www.ojp.gov .

OJJDP11016

SOURCE Office of Justice Programs

[Jenn]

http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13828281

Facebook to offer Amber Alerts

Posted: Jan 12, 2011 6:52 AM EST Updated: Jan 12, 2011 6:52 AM EST

Facebook is hoping to use its popularity to help find missing kids.

USA Today is reporting that the social website is teaming up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Department of Justice.

It will create Amber Alert pages for every state, plus D-C, Puerto Rico and the U-S Virgin Islands.

Officials say Facebook users will be able to opt-in to receive posts about Amber Alerts in their area.

An announcement is expected today.

The 'Amber Alert' is named after Amber Hagerman who was abducted and murdered in 1996 in her hometown of Arlington, Texas.

[Jenn]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-01-12-1Afacebookmissing12_ST_N.htm

Facebook teams with agencies for AMBER Alert pages

January 12, 2011 By Andrew Seaman, Special for USA TODAY

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Department of Justice are teaming with Facebook to create AMBER Alert pages to help in the search for missing children.

Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications at Facebook, says there will be a page for each state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The announcement is planned today in Alexandria, Va.

"I think it's really a logical and exciting use of the medium," said Ernie Allen, president of the center for missing children.

"It's one more avenue to reach the public and reach the younger generation," added Laurie Robinson, assistant attorney general in the Office of Justice Programs for the Department of Justice and the national coordinator of the AMBER Alert program.

Facebook users will be able to opt-in to receive posts in their news feed when an AMBER Alert is issued in their area, Noyes says.

"It's targeted geographically," Allen stresses. "You're not going to be inundated with them."

The Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers and local law enforcement created the first local AMBER Alert plan in 1997, according to the center for missing children. There are 120 AMBER Alert plans across the U.S. and others worldwide.

Each state or territory's AMBER Alert coordinator initiates the alert through the Emergency Alert System, and then the center issues secondary alerts, such as messages on billboards, mobile phones and now, the new Facebook pages, Allen says.

From 2005 to 2009, 98.5% of the AMBER Alerts cases have been resolved, he says.

Facebook already has similar pages in four Canadian provinces, Noyes says.

The launch of the AMBER Alert pages comes at the 15th anniversary of the disappearance of the program's 9-year-old namesake, Amber Hagerman, Allen said. Amber was kidnapped Jan. 13, 1996, in Arlington, Texas.

[Jenn]

http://dailylocal.com/articles/2011/01/18/news/srv0000010663933.txt

Pa. Lottery to display Amber Alerts on machines

Published: Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Pennsylvania Lottery may now play an even more integral role in helping police find abducted children through the use of its self-service terminals, officials announced last week.

The lottery can display details of the missing child as well as a photograph on its 17-inch flat-panel displays that are located at more than 8,700 stores across the state. Previously, the lottery would have retailers print text messages on lottery tickets with basic abduction information.

"Now within minutes if the state police activating an Amber Alert, a missing child's picture and other identifying information can be displayed at convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, bowling alleys and grocery stores in all 67 counties," Drew Svitko, the interim executive director for the lottery, said in a written statement. "We hope this upgrade will assist the public in recognizing an abducted child as soon as possible."

Pennsylvania State Police acting Commissioner Jon Kurtz said the Amber Alert System has helped police safely recover 32 children in the last nine years.

"These children were in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury," Kurtz said in a prepared statement. "Members of the public often provide the crucial information that leads to a child's safe return. The more people who are made aware of a missing child, the more likely it becomes that the child will be returned home safely."

[LoriDavis]

http://stjoechannel.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=229757

St. Joseph Officials Outline Plan in Case of Missing Child

Reported by: Lourin Sprenger
Thursday, October 06 2011

(St. Joseph, Mo.) St. Joseph law enforcement says they're prepared to do everything they can if a child were to go missing in Northwest Missouri.

St. Joseph deputies and local media members are participating in an Amber Alert training in Kansas City this week.

The Sheriff's Department tells KQ2 it's just one step they're taking to make sure they're ready if an event happens in St. Joseph.

While missing children have been reported in St. Joseph - it's usually a child wandering off on their own, and they're recovered in a matter of hours.

Amber Alerts tend to be rare, only 50 have been issued statewide so far this year.

Detectives say the sooner they start their search, the more successful they tend to be. "When a child goes missing, we need to focus all our resources as quickly as possible," said Detective Mike Wilkerson with the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department. "They say after 24 or 48 hours your chances go down."

Law enforcement will be training an Amber Alert team of volunteers to be on stand by in the event that a child goes missing in northwest Missouri. "You always want to have people trained so that you don't have to spend time training them when you should be searching," said Commander Jim Connors with the St. Joseph Police Department.

[Kelly]

Department of Justice Amber Alert Best Practices:

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102226479420-77/AMBER+Alert+Best+Practices.pdf