Colorado Amber Alert

After an alleged assault of the mother of his child, Elias Santistevan, 22, kidnapped his son, Deion Sanstivensan. The assault and kidnapping happened around 3 p.m. Sunday but the Amber Alert wasn't issued until after midnight on Monday.

Is an Amber Alert still effective if it is issued over nine hours after an abduction?
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation one of the purposes for issuing an Amber Alert is to rapidly disseminate information.

Is it effective if it is activated and de-activated during the search efforts?
Multiple Amber Alerts have been issued recently in the efforts to recover Daniel Jimenez, and Elian Majano both still missing. They were also issued multiple times in the abduction of Destiny Norton.

Amber Alert Process

Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must first determine if the case meets the AMBER Plan criteria:

The child must be 17 years of age or younger

The child must be in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death

There must be enough descriptive information to believe a broadcast will assist or aid in the recovery

The activation must be requested by a local local law enforcement agency or AMBER Designee from another state.

Purpose of the AMBER Alert

To rapidly disseminate information about a suspect and child to law enforcement agencies and the public when a child has been abducted

To gain the assistance of thousands of television viewers and radio listeners throughout the coverage area

To coerce the kidnapper to release the child for fear of arrest

To deter persons from commiting the crime

Why, Why, Why

What started out as looking into the Wisconsin Amber Alert criteria based on this story of a young girl reported missing and found. I instead uncovered this interesting tidbit.

“….The National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which is part of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division within the Federal Bureau of Investigation, provides every state with a monthly report detailing statistics regarding the number of missing children in the state that month. The numbers reflect the total active missing children cases reported to NCIC for that month….”

If this is in fact true, Why doesn’t each state make these statistics available monthly? Why doesn’t the NCMEC make them available to support their efforts? Why is most of the data available via the internet, from law enforcement agencies, several years old?

Operator, 911 or Amber Alert?

After a terrifying ordeal came to a happy conclusion, a Baton Rouge family is questioning whether Louisiana's Amber Alert System is always used effectively.

Apparently, the father dropped off the child’s mother at the mall and was not heard from again. The family was concerned because the father was diabetic man who missed insulin shots and the missing child was a 3-year-old.

Evidently the father and son had been driving to Greensburg when a faulty fuel pump, running out of gas and being unable to remember any phone numbers caused their 24-hour delay.

Why didn’t the father dial an O for the operator and ask for assistance or even dial 911?

Alert not used in missing child case
By: Jeremy Bridges
2theadvocate.com staff writer
Published: Jul 5, 2006

Deep in the heart of Texas

It is fascinating when the debate ensues regarding whether an Amber Alert should have been issued or not. There is merit in not abusing the system. The Texas Department of Public Safety, DPS, has only issued Amber Alerts for 27 children since August 2002. That is 27 alerts over 47 months or 1 every 1.75 months. Texas unlike some states, such as Colorado, does not post the total number of total missing children each year.

Since January of 2002, California has issued 90 Amber Alerts or 1 every .75 months and recovered 117 children.

Toddler didn't meet Amber Alert criteria
Irving: Case lacked proof of kidnap, but chief says he 'couldn't rule it out'

“….The Irving Police Department could face an informal reprimand for issuing an Amber Alert for 2-year-old Elian Majano, who disappeared from a park more than a week ago and is still missing….”

The Texas Department of Public Safety operates its own statewide Amber Alert system with even stricter rules. Elian's case would not have been eligible for that alert because a description of the suspect is required.

Lisa Block, a DPS spokeswoman, said that such stringent standards ensure that the system isn't overused and remains effective. Since the system was created in August 2002, DPS has issued Amber Alerts for 27 children. Twenty-five were returned safely, one child was killed and one is still missing. ..”

Apparently not everything is bigger in Texas.

How ready is your Police Department?

While I would applaud the efforts of the Searcy AR Police department to implement Policies and procedures, why did it take ten years?





Searcy police are ready for child abductions

“…During the program, Bright and Dillon learned through interactive exercises designed to illustrate steps involved in an AMBER Alert. Case studies of previous AMBER Alerts were examined and exercises designed to improve coordination between media and law enforcement were conducted.Amber Hagerman, 9, was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and later brutally murdered. An early warning system was conceived in 1996 as a memorial to her, and Dallas area broadcasters came up with the idea of using Emergency Alert System (EAS) equipment to rapidly relay child abduction information….”

Amber Alerts

The AMBER Plan was created in 1996 as a powerful legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, a bright little girl who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas.




How do AMBER Alerts work?

Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must first determine if the case meets the recommended criteria from the U.S. Department of Justice for activating an alert.
Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts (PDF)

• There is reasonable belief by law enforcement an abduction has occurred
• The abduction is of a child age 17 years or younger
• The law-enforcement agency believes the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death
• There is enough descriptive information about the victim and abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child
• The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer

It is important to note that though it is suggested “…what began as a local effort in Dallas, Texas, has grown into a seamless system of AMBER Alert programs across the country…” it is at the discretion of local law enforcement if it should be issued and to each state as to whether it is valid across state lines.

http://www.amberalert.gov/