Amber Alert - America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response (written for Child Education)
Most everyone has now heard of Amber Alerts. You see them on the news far too regularly. AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was begun in recognition of Amber Hagerman, a little 9-year old girl from Arlington, TX.
In 1996 Amber was kidnapped while riding her bike in her neighborhood. Her body was discovered 4 days later in a drainage ditch just a few miles from her home. The predator responsible for her brutal murder has never been found. Her family along with law enforcement pleaded for a system to help quickly get the word out when a child is abducted and in extreme danger. It took over 10 years but finally there is some type of Amber Alert in all 50 states! Not all are referred to as Amber Alerts, but they all have the same objective... to rapidly share descriptive information to large numbers of citizens.
The idea is to use radio, TV, the Internet, and electronic road signs to inform the public that an abduction has taken place and a child is in danger. By getting a description of the abductor and or a vehicle along with the child's information out there, the public can be used as extra eyes for authorities. Imagine thousands of people suddenly on the look out for an abducted child. Most often the Amber Alert system is used when the abductor's vehicle description is available thus providing an easy opportunity for the public to help without having to look for a specific child, which can be nearly impossible. Since it's creation nearly 500 children have been rescued, many who were probably not going to make it out of the situation alive.
Amber Alerts can even be a deterrent to potential predators who now know that if they abduct a child chances are they will be caught. When you hear about or see an Amber Alert in your area please pay attention. You never know when you might be the one to save a child's life.
Amber Alert is an Essential Tool to Help Rescue Missing Children, Missing Kids, or Missing Persons and Brings an End to the Child Abduction Cycle.
