Amber Alert
Amber Alert
In line with Mara Sullivan
about Amber Alert in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement:
The AMBER Alert is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, media, and others to distribute an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases. It was created in 1996 as a response to the kidnapping and murder of a nine-year-old girl, Amber Hagerman, by a stranger in Arlington, Texas. The acronym stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. The goal of the AMBER plan is to involve the entire community to help assist in the safe return of abducted children by publicizing the abduction. After law enforcement has confirmed a missing child report, an AMBER Alert is sent to media outlets such as radio stations, television stations, cable companies, Internet bulletin boards, and electronic highway billboards. Since its inception, the AMBER Alert has been an important and successful tool in rescuing kidnapped children in the states that voluntarily participate in the program.