I am writing today because it is critical that you understand the importance of the proposed legislation to create a nationwide Amber Alert network. The system is designed to immediately notify the public of non-family abductions in their area through bulletins that are sent out to the public through law enforcement systems, television, radio and in some states, highway signs.
Senators Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas are working together on this bi-partisan effort to save America's children from the heinous crime of non-family abductions. Please support their efforts. Their bill would give law enforcement agencies using Amber Alerts access to the F.B.I.'s database of DNA and biographical information on criminals.
At the current time, alert systems are active in 15 states and 32 cities, counties and towns. The first Amber Alert program was implemented over six years ago and has steadily spread throughout the nation with proven success. The system was recently used in California and was the sole reason two kidnapped girls were returned to their families. Alerts across America have been credited with recovering 22 children nationwide, according to Tina Rosenberg, a spokeswoman for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Although states are seeing the importance of such alerts, we need a central system that can be accessed nationwide.
American children need you. Please help Senators Feinstein and Hutchison turn this proposed legislation into law. We're counting on you!
Parents everywhere will greatly appreciate your immediate attention to this concern.
Respectfully,
<your name>
Please do your part in saving our children by sending this letter about the "Amber Alert System" to your senetor(s), if you don't have the "Amber Alert System" in your state. Thank you.
The AMBER Plan was created in 1996 as a powerful legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, a bright little girl who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. The tragedy shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents contacted radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they broadcast special "alerts" over the airwaves so that they could help prevent such incidents in the future.
In response to the community's concern for the safety of local children, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law-enforcement agencies in northern Texas and developed this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children. Statistics show that, when abducted, a child's greatest enemy is time.
Each program establishes its own AMBER Plan criteria; however, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children suggests three criteria that should be met before an Alert is activated.
1) Law enforcement confirms a child has been abducted.
2) Law enforcement believes the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.
3) There is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help.
If these criteria's are met, alert information must be put together for public distribution. This information can include descriptions and pictures of the missing child, the suspected abductor, a suspected vehicle, and any other information available and valuable to identifying the child and suspect.
The AMBER Plan is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.
Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the Emergency Broadcast System, to air a description of the missing child and suspected abductor.
This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies. The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the child.
CodeAmber.org was established in August of 2002 to extend the reach of every Amber Alert to the World Wide Web. Please, add the Code Amber Ticker to your site today. You could help save a child's life.
