According to the United States Department of Justice, there is a child abduction every forty seconds, resulting in about 2,000 abductions daily and 800,000 abductions yearly. These statistics reveal that approximately 11.4 children out of every 1,000 are kidnapped.
The data indicates that males are responsible for 75% of these abductions, with 67% of them being under twenty-nine years old. Additionally, females account for 74% of the abducted children.
It is important to note that in 71% of cases, the kidnappers are strangers to their victims. Furthermore, an astonishing 80% of these abductions occur within a quarter-mile radius from the child’s home.
According to Kidnapping Statistics, less than 60 children are returned to their families alive, while 4% of abducted children are never found and 74% are dead within 3 hours. It is vital to rapidly and accurately disseminate information in order to save children’s lives. The AMBER Alert was established with the goal of reuniting missing children with their families. This alert system was named after Amber Hagerman, who was riding her bike near her Arlington, Texas home on January 13, 1996.
What exactly is the AMBER Alert? What is its purpose and criteria? How effective is it and what concerns surround it?
Multiple witnesses, including a neighbor and the girl’s brother Ricky, witnessed the kidnapping of a nine-year-old girl from her residence. The neighbor promptly alerted the police, while Ricky informed their parents about the incident. In response, the parents quickly contacted both the media and the FBI to raise awareness and gather any potential leads. Tragically, four days later they received heartbreaking news that their daughter’s deceased body had been discovered in a storm drainage ditch.
The abductor in this case has yet to be found. Amber’s parents created the organization, People Against Sex Offenders, with the aim of urging Texas legislature to implement stricter laws for protecting children. The United States Legislature embraced this cause and subsequently approved the Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act. President Bill Clinton officially endorsed this act into law in October 1996. In a Dallas radio symposium in July 1996, Richard Hagerman, Amber’s father, spoke to the audience about the importance of promptly sharing abduction information with the public.
Bruce Seybert, another presenter at the symposium, discussed how the media can effectively and promptly disseminate messages to the public. A reporter from KRLD newspaper proposed a collaborative effort with the Dallas police chief to relay these crucial messages, which marked the inception of the AMBER Alert (AMBER Alerts, Wikipedia). Initially, the alert was manually transmitted to local radio stations that were part of the program. In 1998, the Child Alert Foundation developed the Alert Notification System, which automatically informed communities about abductions. These alerts were simultaneously dispatched.
The AMBER Alert system, modeled after emergency broadcasting protocols for severe weather conditions, was introduced across the entire country in October 2001. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) spearheaded this initiative and gained official backing from the Federal Communications Commission in February 2002. California independently established its own AMBER Alert system on July 24, 2002, following the abduction and murder of Samantha Runnion. The primary objective of the AMBER Alert is to swiftly distribute information and assist in rescuing children.
The AMBER Alert is a collaboration among law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies. When an alert is issued, information is disseminated through radio and television networks, as well as posted on billboards along interstate highways. The activation of the alert mobilizes the entire community and state to initiate the search. This alert system operates on a similar principle as severe weather emergencies, notifying the community promptly so that they can aid in finding the missing child and ensuring their safe return home (AMBER Alert, Bringing Abducted Children Home).
AMBER Alerts are issued by law enforcement when there has been an abduction and they believe that the missing child is in danger. The primary mission of the Alert is to address abductions by strangers, which are considered the most dangerous. The age limit for AMBER Alerts is typically seventeen, although each state may have its own specific limits. The Alert includes descriptive information about the missing child, the abductor, and the vehicle used in the abduction.
The missing child’s name is added to the National Crisis Information Center (NCIC) system. The AMBER Alert, named after Amber Hagerman, also represents America’s Missing Broadcast Emergency Response (Child Abduction, AMBER Alert, and Crime Control Theater). About 250 to 300 AMBER Alerts are issued each year. To adapt to changing times, AMBER Alerts are transitioning to the Web network. To be effective, a larger audience must be reached, requiring the use of the Internet. In the past, it took up to an hour for all sources to be contacted when activating the old system.
In abduction cases, a quick response is extremely important. Thanks to the new system, which received partial funding from Hewlett-Packard and other technical companies, a single password plays a crucial role in instantly sending messages. Currently, around thirteen states utilize this system as part of their Alert mechanism. Law enforcement officers input relevant details into a centralized database, which also allows for the uploading and sending of accompanying photos. Such information is directly sent to the state police. Subsequently, the entire state is promptly notified about the abduction. Beginning in November 2002, alerts have been provided digitally through America Online.
As of August 2002, a total of seventeen children have been successfully rescued following the issuance of an AMBER Alert. In a particular instance, an abductor decided to release a child upon hearing the Alert that had been issued for him. The implementation of AMBER Alerts has fostered collaboration among communities and law enforcement agencies. Communities have actively partnered with law enforcement to conduct safety seminars and promote community safety. Furthermore, communities have become more familiar with their neighbors, identified sex offenders residing in their vicinity, and remained vigilant towards any strangers deemed potentially dangerous to their children. Consequently, community members are actively participating in search efforts whenever Alerts are issued.
Communities are increasingly concerned about the safety of their neighbors, particularly children. They are now more vigilant and observant of suspicious activities happening around them. It has become common for them to report any questionable activity to law enforcement. Parents are also making sure to keep updated identification for their children, so that in case of any dreadful incident, they can provide accurate information to law enforcement. In support of this effort, law enforcement agencies offer identification cards and chips to parents, helping them maintain current information about their children. However, the effectiveness of the AMBER Alert system also brings some concerns.
The main concern is that AMBER Alerts can only be issued when law enforcement determines it to be necessary. This can result in delays as the police decide if they have enough information to issue an Alert. Issuing an Alert too soon may cause public backlash towards law enforcement for falsely alarming them. It turns out that some of the children law enforcement suspected were kidnapped were actually runaways. Another concern is that issuing the Alert has only led to seventeen children being safely returned home. Researchers argue that these children could have been found even without the Alert.
The AMBER Alert has been criticized for being called “crime control theater” because it gives the impression of crime control but not the actual reality (Child Abduction, AMBER Alert, and Crime Control Theater, Sage Journals). Additionally, when the Alert transitioned to digital, it was sent out to all communities, regardless of their proximity to the abduction area. However, this issue has been resolved as Alerts are now only sent to specific geographical locations. If law enforcement deems it necessary, they can quickly add new areas to the Alert. Another concern is the impact on traffic.
The AMBER Alert is activated when an Alert is issued, serving as a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies to recover abducted children. However, this activation can pose risks as drivers may become distracted by reading the Alert instead of focusing on driving, potentially leading to accidents. Moreover, traffic congestions have been caused by distracted drivers who read the alerts. To address this issue, some states have imposed limitations on the number of Alerts allowed on busy interstates (AMBER Alert, Wikipedia). Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognize that despite these challenges, the AMBER Alert has proven its effectiveness by successfully recovering at least seventeen children and serving as a valuable resource in safeguarding our precious young lives.
The Alert recognizes the importance of law enforcement, the media, and the community working together to save abducted children. In fact, a postage stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service in May 2006 to commemorate the AMBER Alert. The AMBER Alert Plan is considered one of the most effective strategies for protecting children that law enforcement has. Quick response to abduction leads to better outcomes (AMBER Alert Statement of Purpose, Amber Alert Wisconsin).
Resources:
– Kids fighting Chance. “Kidnapping Statistics.” 23. Nov, 2009. http://www.kidsfightingchance.com/stats.php.
– Amber Alert Wisconsin. “Amber Alert Statement of Purpose.” 20. Nov, 2009. http://www.amberalertwisconsin.org/content/pupose.asp.
– Sage Journals Online. “Child Abduction, AMBER Alert, and Crime Control Theater.” 20. Nov, 2009.http://cjr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/33/2/159.
– AMBER Alert.“Bringing Abducted Children Home.”20.Nov,
2009.www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/amberalert/000712/index.html.
– Wikipedia.“AMBERAlert.”20.Nov,
2009.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMBER_Alert.
