AMBER Alert

What is the AMBER Plan?

The AMBER Plan is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, emergency management, 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 the suspected abductor. This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies. The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly enlist an entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the abducted child.

On April 30, 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003 into law.

Building on the steps already taken by the Bush Administration to support AMBER Alert programs, this Act codified the national coordination of state and local AMBER Alert programs, including the development of guidance for issuance and dissemination of AMBER Alerts and the appointment of a national AMBER Alert Coordinator.

Today, there are 49 statewide AMBER Plans, another 18 regional, and 32 local plans.

The Origin of the AMBER Plan

The AMBER Plan was created in 1996 as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, 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.

What is an AMBER Alert?

Each program establishes its own AMBER Plan criteria; however, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children suggests five criteria that should be met before an Alert is activated.

• Law enforcement confirms a child has been abducted.
• Law enforcement believes the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death .
• There is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect’s vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help to locate the child and apprehend the suspect.
• The abduction is of a child 17 years or younger.
• The child’s name and other key descriptive information have been entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system

The information required by the plan 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.

Since its inception, 151 children have been recovered through AMBER Alerts.

State AMBER Plans

Please visit the links below to learn more about each state’s AMBER Plan.