AMBER Alert: Bringing Abducted Children Home

• NCJ Number: 221762
• Date Published: April 2005
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Factsheet

Annotation

This pamphlet provides individuals with a brief, yet comprehensive description of AMBER Alert, an early warning system to help find abducted children.

Abstract

AMBER Alert was created in 1996 after 9-year old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, TX. AMBER Alert is a voluntary partnership involving law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies. During an AMBER Alert, an urgent news bulletin is broadcast in many formats, such as the airwaves and highway alert signs to enlist the help of the public in finding an abducted child/children and stopping the perpetrator(s). Before an AMBER Alert is triggered, law enforcement must determine if the case meets AMBER Alert criteria, criteria recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice. AMBER Alerts are issued by a law enforcement agency in cooperation with the media only if the circumstances surrounding a child's disappearance meet the AMBER Alert criteria. The goal of AMBER Alert is to recover abducted children before they meet physical harm. AMBER Alert encourages everyone to be on the lookout for the abducted child and suspect. List of resources