Using Mobile Technology to Mobilize Citizens to Help Find Abducted Children
From Shareideas
Through the Wireless AMBER Alerts™ Initiative, individuals in the U.S. who subscribe to participating wireless carriers can sign up to receive text messages alerting them of an abducted child in their area and providing them with a fast, easy-to-use means of relaying relevant information to law enforcement officials.
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AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” and was created in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to find abducted children. The AMBER Alert program was soon adopted across the nation and is a legacy to Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then murdered.
President Bush authorized the national AMBER Alert program as part of the PROTECT Act signed in 2003. The law formally established the federal government's role in the AMBER Alert program, appointing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as the agency responsible for coordinating AMBER Alerts on the national level. DOJ has officially partnered with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), authorizing them as the agent that coordinates and disseminates AMBER Alerts to secondary distributors. Approximately 200-250 AMBER Alerts are activated across the United States each year.
The Wireless AMBER Alerts™ Initiative, a partnership among DOJ, NCMEC, and the wireless industry, was launched in May 2005 as a way to extend the reach of the AMBER Alert program to the more than 235 million wireless subscribers in the U.S. Syniverse powers the intelligent messaging infrastructure that enables the short message service.
People interested in playing a role in the search and rescue effort for abducted children in their area can now subscribe, through participating wireless carriers, to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts™ via text message. Subscribers need only provide their mobile phone number and up to five zip code locations where they are willing to participate.
To receive the Wireless AMBER Alerts™, wireless subscribers can register at www.wirelessamberalerts.org, or by visiting their wireless carriers website. Alerts are sent in the form of text messages and are free of charge.
Research has shown that the first three hours after a child’s abduction are the most critical to recovery efforts. Through mobilizing the support of community members, the Wireless AMBER Alerts™ Initiative seeks to gather valuable information that could prove vital in the recovery of an abducted child.
How it was done
Wireless AMBER Alerts™ are issued based on the following process. First, law enforcement officials are notified that a child has been abducted and verify that the case meets AMBER alert criteria established by the U.S. Department of Justice. Such criteria include: 1) the missing child is 17 years of age or younger, 2) is believed to be in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, and 3) sufficient information about the missing child exists for an AMBER Alert to be helpful in recovering efforts. Following, law enforcement officials issue an AMBER Alert and provide the necessary information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC drafts the message and forwards to Syniverse, which then sends it to wireless carriers, which transmit the message to those customers who have subscribed to the service.
