AMBER Alert Programs in the United States

A companion to “Gone Missing: The Telecommunicator’s Role in Activating an AMBER Alert,” by Sheila Hanna-Wiles in the August issue of Public Safety Communications.

 

According to a 1997 study conducted by the Washington State Attorney General’s office, an estimated 100 abducted children are murdered each year, and 74% of those murders are committed within the first three hours after the abduction. An AMBER Alert plan is a powerful law enforcement tool that allows for a quick response to serious abductions, allows broadcasters to contribute to the community by issuing the alerts, involves the whole community in the child’s recovery and in the capture of the perpetrator, costs nothing to implement and saves lives. The telecommunicator is the first step in the AMBER Alert plan. To gain a better understanding of the process, see below.

 

Alabama

http://www.dps.state.al.us/public/abi/amber_plan.asp

Administrating Agency: Alabama Bureau of Investigation

Alaska

http://amberalert.alaska.gov/

Arizona

http://www.azbroadcasters.org/AMBER.html

Administrating Agency: Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Arizona Broadcasters Association

Arkansas

http://www.todaysthv.com/life/community/morgannick/default.aspx  

Administrating Agency: Arkansas State Police

California

http://www.chp.ca.gov/amber/amber-en.html  

Administrating Agency: California Highway Patrol

Contact: California Department of Justice Office of Victims’ Services at 877/433-9069

Colorado

http://www.cbi.state.co.us/mp/amber/amberlist.asp  

Administrating Agency: Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Connecticut

http://www.state.ct.us/dps/Amber_Alert.htm  

Administrating Agency: Connecticut State Police

Delaware

Lt. Joseph Aviola, Delaware State Police contact at: 302-834-2620 x234

Administrating Agency: Delaware State Police

District of Columbia

http://www.washingtonamberalert.com/

Administrating Agency: Local law enforcement

Florida

http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/AmberPlan/  

Administrating Agency: Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

Contact: FDLE/MCIC at 888/356-4774 or www.fdle.state.fl.us  

Georgia

http://alerts.gbi.georgia.gov/02/gbi/alerts/0,2614,67865199,00.html  

Administrating Agency: Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)

Contact: Regional GBI office. After hours and on weekends and holidays, contact the GBI Communications Center at 404/244-2600. An operator will locate the on-call agent.

Hawaii

http://www.honolulupd.org/community/maile.htm  

Administrating Agency: Honolulu Police Department

Idaho

http://www.idahoamberalert.com/resources.php

Illinois

http://www.isp.state.il.us/crime/amber.htm  

Administrating Agency: Illinois State Police (ISP)

Contact: ISP Public Information Office at 217/782-6637

Indiana

http://amberalertindiana.com/   

Administrating Agency: Indiana State Police

Contact: Colonel John Agner, Lawrenceburg Police, Phone: 812/537-2284; Fax: 812/537-4066

Also contact: The Indiana State Police Missing Children at 317/232-8310

Iowa

http://www.iowaamberalert.org/  

Administrating Agency: Iowa State Patrol Communications

Kansas

http://www.ksamber.org

Kentucky

http://kyem.ky.gov/amberalert.htm  

Administrating Agency: Anthony Kramer Edgewood Police by phone at 859/331-5911 or fax at 859/331-5936

Louisiana

http://www.lsp.org/amber.html  

Administrating Agency: Louisiana State Police

Maine

http://www.maine.gov/portal/CAS/index.shtml  

Administrating Agency: Maine Department of Public Safety

Maryland

http://www.mdsp.org/  

Administrating Agency: Maryland State Police (MSP)

Massachusetts

http://www.masschiefs.org/hottopics/hot_aalert.html  

Administrating Agency: Massachusetts State Police

Michigan

http://www.michmab.com/amberalert.html  

Administrating Agency: Michigan State Police

Minnesota

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/mcan/AmberAlert/index.htm  

Administrating Agency: Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA): The BCA activates the Minn. Crime Alert Network (MCAN) and then works in conjunction with the duty officer from the Division of Emergency Management to activate the alert over the state EAS.

Contact: Crime Alert Network at 651/642-0779

Mississippi

http://www.dps.state.ms.us/dps/dps.nsf/divpages/ci3amber?OpenDocument  

Administrating Agency: Mississippi Department of Public Safety

Contact: Major Larry Waggoner via phone at 601/933-2604 or e-mail at lwaggoner@mdps.state.ms.us  

Missouri

http://www.dps.mo.gov/home/AmberAlert.htm  

Administrating Agency: Department of Public Safety

Contact: Chief Terry Milam, St. John, MO PD, by phone at 314/427-8706 or e-mail at tmilam@cityofstjohn.org; or Sgt. Jim Dahm, Belleville, IL PD, by phone at 618/234-1218 x746 or e-mail at sgtdahm@belvillepolice.org

Montana

http://doj.mt.gov/enforcement/missingpersonclearinghouse.asp  

Administrating Agency: Montana Department of Justice, Information Technology Services Division, Division of Criminal Investigation

Nebraska

http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/findfile.asp?id2=183  

Administrating Agency: Nebraska State Patrol

Nevada

http://amberalert.nv.gov/  

Administrating Agency: The Nevada AMBER Alert Review Committee, comprising a representative selected by the State EAS Committee, a representative selected by the Nevada Broadcasters Association and 10 representatives from state and/or local law enforcement agencies selected by the governor

New Hampshire

No information available

New Jersey

http://www.njsp.org/amber/  

Administrating Agency: New Jersey State Police

New Mexico

http://www.dps.nm.org/amberAlert/index.php  

Administrating Agency: The New Mexico Broadcasters Association (NMBA)

New York

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/missing/aware/amber.htm  

Administrating Agency: New York State Police

Contact: Senior Investigator John Brooks, New York State (NYS) Police, at 518/485-8503; or Ken Buniak, Director, NYS Missing & Exploited Children Clearinghouse at 518/ 457-6326

North Carolina

http://www.nccrimecontrol.org/index2.cfm?a=000003,000005,000081,000103  

Administrating Agency: The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons (NCCMP) of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety

North Dakota

http://www.nd.gov/amber/  

Administrating Agency: North Dakota Highway Patrol

Ohio

http://www.ohioamberplan.org/  

Administrating Agency: Ohio AMBER Alert Steering Committee

Oklahoma

http://www.dps.state.ok.us/

http://www.oklahomacounty.org/sheriff/amberalert/  

Administrating Agency: Department of Public Safety -- A link is posted on the home page whenever there is an alert, which is accessible at http://www.dps.state.ok.us/amber.html. When there is no alert for Oklahoma, the link is deactivated.

Oregon

http://www.oregonamberalert.com/eas.php  

Administrating Agency: Oregon State Police

Pennsylvania

http://www.amber.state.pa.us/amber/site/default.asp  

Administrating Agency: Pennsylvania State Police

Rhode Island

http://www.risp.state.ri.us/amberalert/

South Carolina

http://www.sled.sc.gov/  

Administrating Agency: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

South Dakota

http://www.state.sd.us/amberalert/

Tennessee

http://www.tbi.state.tn.us/Cid/AmberAlert/AmberAlert2.htm  

Administrating Agency: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Texas

http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/initiatives/amber  

Administrating Agency: Texas Department of Public Safety

Utah

http://www.attygen.state.ut.us/AL/amberalert.htm  

Administrating Agency: Utah Broadcasters Association, Office of the Attorney General

Contact: Paul Murphy, Utah Attorney General’s Office, at 801/538-1892

Vermont

http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/amber/  

Administrating Agency: Vermont Department of Public Safety

Virginia

http://www.vaamberalert.com/index.htm  

Administrating Agency: Virginia State Police, which notifies the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse (VMCC) by fax.

Washington

http://www.wa.gov/wsp/amber/default.htm  

Administrating Agency: Washington State Patrol

West Virginia

http://www.wvstatepolice.com/amber.htm  

Administrating Agency: West Virginia State Police

Wisconsin

http://www.amberalertwisconsin.org  

Administrating Agency: Dane County Public Safety Communication Center (DCPSCC)

Wyoming

http://attorneygeneral.state.wy.us/dci/amberalert/amberalert.html  

Administrating Agency: Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)

 

Additional Sources

•             National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: www.missingkids.com    

•             KlaasKids Foundation: www.klaaskids.org

•             Child Abduction Response Team (CART): www.amberalert.gov


 

 

 

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