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{{Short description|US based child abduction emergency alert system}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
[[File:AMBER alert Android.jpg|alt=An amber alert on Android. An Amber alert on Android. Text reads in all caps "Riverhead, NY AMBER Alert: LIC/ [license plate removed] (NY) Grey Hyundai Santa Fe SUV".|thumb |upright=1.15 |An Amber alert as seen on [[Android (operating system)|Android]], instructing users to call [[9-1-1|911]] if they find a car with a matching description]]

An '''Amber alert''' (alternatively styled '''AMBER alert''') or a '''child abduction emergency alert''' ([[Specific Area Message Encoding|SAME]] code: CAE) is a message distributed by a [[child abduction alert system]] to ask the public for help in finding abducted children.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About AMBER Alert |url=https://amberalert.ojp.gov/about |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=AMBER Alert |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Crawford|first1=Selwyn|last2=Hundley| first2=Wendy |title=15 Years Later, Critics Debate Effectiveness of Amber Alert |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 23, 2011|access-date=April 13, 2023 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/15-years-later-critics-debate-effectiveness-of-amber-alert/2011/01/21/ABDZX0G_story.html}}</ref> The system originated in the [[United States]].<ref name=":0" />

The Amber alert was created in reference to 9-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman, who was abducted in [[Arlington, Texas]], on January 13, 1996, and found murdered four days later. Alternative regional alert names were once used; in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], "Levi's Call"<ref>{{cite web |title=Levi's Call |access-date=November 7, 2010 |url=https://amber.gbi.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0,2096,67865199_67868035,00.html |publisher=Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) – Georgia.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023061604/http://amber.gbi.georgia.gov/00/channel_modifieddate/0%2C2096%2C67865199_67868035%2C00.html |archive-date=October 23, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> (in memory of Levi Frady); in [[Hawaii]], "Maile Amber Alert"<ref>{{cite web |title=Maile Amber Alert |url=http://hawaii.gov/ag/mcch/main/maile_amber |publisher=Hawaii Department of Attorney General}}</ref> (in memory of Maile Gilbert); in [[Arkansas]], "Morgan Nick Amber Alert"<ref>{{cite web | title=Morgan Nick Amber Alert |year=2006 |url=https://dps.arkansas.gov/law-enforcement/arkansas-state-police/ |publisher=Arkansas State Police}}</ref> (in memory of [[Disappearance of Morgan Nick|Morgan Nick]]); in [[Utah]], "Rachael Alert" (in memory of [[Murder of Rachael Runyan|Rachael Runyan]]); and in [[Idaho]], "Monkey's Law" (in memory of Michael “Monkey” Joseph Vaughan). Although the system was named for Hagerman, "AMBER" officially stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response",<ref>https://amberalert.ojp.gov/about</ref> an example of a [[backronym]].

In the United States, the alerts are distributed via commercial and public [[radio station]]s, [[Internet radio]], [[satellite radio]], [[television station]]s, [[text messaging|text messages]], and [[cable TV]] by the [[Emergency Alert System]] and [[NOAA Weather Radio]]<ref>[http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag217.htm Magazine.noaa.gov] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018045306/http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag217.htm |date=October 18, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2003/aug03/noaa03r288.html|title=NOAA Weather Radio Leads to Kentucky Amber Alert Success|work=noaa.gov|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924083047/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2003/aug03/noaa03r288.html|archive-date=September 24, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> (where they are termed "Amber Alerts"). The alerts are also issued via [[e-mail]], [[Variable-message sign|electronic traffic-condition signs]], commercial electronic billboards,<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://news.walgreens.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5055 |title=Walgreens Electronic Outdoor Signs Now Deliver Vital Weather Messages at More Than 3,000 Corner Locations Across America |publisher=Walgreens |date=September 9, 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927033326/http://news.walgreens.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5055 |archive-date=September 27, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.lamaroutdoor.com/outdoorfiles/Content/mediaweekjune08.pdf Lamaroutdoor.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213112109/http://www.lamaroutdoor.com/outdoorfiles/Content/mediaweekjune08.pdf |date=February 13, 2012 }}</ref> or through [[wireless]] device [[Short Message Service|SMS text messages]].

The [[US Justice Department]]'s Amber Alert Program has also teamed up with [[Google]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://socialtimes.com/google-brings-amber-alerts-for-missing-children-to-search-and-maps_b109185 |title=Google Brings AMBER Alerts for Missing Children to Search and Maps |last=Glenn |first=Devon |date=November 1, 2012 |publisher=socialtimes.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210152320/http://socialtimes.com/google-brings-amber-alerts-for-missing-children-to-search-and-maps_b109185 |archive-date=December 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |via=[[Bing (search engine)|Bing]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=546029553295327232|user=MissingKids|title=. @Microsoft } @Bing Announces new @AmberAlert features #ChangeLives http://blogs.bing.com/search/2014/12/18/bing-round-up-amber-alerts-and-new-local-features-for-mobile/}}</ref> and [[Facebook]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/news_at_glance/233339/topstory.html|title=OJJDP News @ a Glance – January/February 2011|publisher=ncjrs.gov}}</ref> to display information regarding an Amber alert when geographically relevant searches are entered into Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and other search engines. This is a component of the Amber alert system that is already active in the US (there are also developments in Europe). Those interested in subscribing to receive Amber alerts in their area via SMS messages can visit Wireless Amber alerts, which are offered by law as free messages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wirelessamberalerts.org |title=Wireless AMBER Alerts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305145857/http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/safety/index.cfm/AID/10361 |archive-date=March 5, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In some states, the display scrollboards in front of [[lottery]] terminals are also used.

The decision to declare an Amber alert is made by each [[police]] organization (in many cases, the [[state police]] or [[highway patrol]]) investigating the abduction. Public information in an Amber alert usually includes the name and description of the abductee, a description of the suspected abductor, and a description and [[license plate]] number of the abductor's vehicle if available.

== Activation criteria ==
[[File:Amber Alert Lamar Billboard.jpg|right|thumb|An example of a July 2010 Amber alert from [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], where electronic LED billboards, such as this one in [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]] owned by [[Lamar Advertising Company|Lamar]], are used to relay details of the incident to the public.]]
[[File:AMBER Alert on Cable TV.jpg|thumb|Amber alert displayed on cable TV by the Emergency Alert System. Generated via a DASDEC or a One-Net EAS/IPAWS encoder used by a NJ cable system.]]
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2025}}

The alerts are broadcast using the [[Emergency Alert System]], which had previously been used primarily for weather bulletins, civil emergencies, or national emergencies.<ref name=irsay/> In Canada, alerts are broadcast via [[Alert Ready]], a Canadian emergency warning system. Alerts usually contain a description of the child and of the likely abductor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.missingkids.ca/en/help-us-find/amber-alert/|title=What is An AMBER Alert?|website=missingkids.ca|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> To avoid both [[false alarm]]s and having alerts ignored as a "[[wolf cry]]", the criteria for issuing an alert are rather strict. Each state's or province's Amber alert plan sets its own criteria for activation,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-10-07 |title=Amber Alert site restored after online furor over government shutdown |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/07/amber-alert-website-down-shutdown |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> meaning that there are differences between alerting agencies as to which incidents are considered to justify the use of the system. However, the [[U.S. Department of Justice]] issues the following "guidance", which most states are said to "adhere closely to" (in the U.S.):<ref>{{cite web|date=April 2004|title=Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts|url=http://www.amberalert.gov/docs/AMBERCriteria.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041015003050/http://amberalert.gov/docs/AMBERCriteria.pdf|archive-date=October 15, 2004|publisher=U.S. Department of Justice}}</ref>

# Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place.
# The child must be at risk of serious injury or death.
# There must be sufficient descriptive information of child, captor, or captor's vehicle to issue an alert.
# The child must be under 18 years of age.

Many law enforcement agencies have not used #2 as a criterion, resulting in many [[parental abduction]]s triggering an Amber alert, where the child is not known or assumed to be at risk of serious injury or death. In 2013, [[West Virginia]] passed [[Murder of Skylar Neese#Skylar's Law|Skylar's Law]] to eliminate #1 as a criterion for triggering an Amber alert.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

It is recommended that Amber alert data immediately be entered into the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) [[National Crime Information Center]]. Text information describing the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the child should be entered, and the case flagged as child abduction.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]]'s (RCMP) requirements in Canada are nearly identical to the above list, with the exception that the RCMP is notified.<ref name="Our Missing Children Canada">{{cite web|title=AMBER Alert |url=http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/omc-ned/news-nouv/amber-eng.htm |publisher=Government of Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211111303/http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/omc-ned/news-nouv/amber-eng.htm |archive-date=February 11, 2013 }}</ref> One organization might notify the other if there is reason to suspect that the border may be crossed.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

When investigators believe that a child is in danger of being taken across the border to either Canada or Mexico, [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]], [[United States Border Patrol]] and the [[Canada Border Services Agency]] are notified and are expected to search every car coming through a border checkpoint. If the child is suspected to be taken to Canada, a Canadian Amber Alert can also be issued, and a pursuit by Canadian authorities usually follows.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===Incidents not meeting alert criteria===
For incidents which do not meet Amber alert criteria, the United States Department of Justice developed the Child Abduction Response Teams (CART) program to assist local agencies. This program can be used in all missing children's cases with or without an Amber alert. CART can also be used to help recover runaway children who are under the age of 18 and in danger. {{as of|2010|df=US}}, 225 response teams have been trained in 43 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Canada.<ref>{{cite web|year=2010|title=Frequently asked questions OJP|url=http://www.ojp.gov/newsroom/pdfs/amberfaq.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508164642/http://ojp.gov/newsroom/pdfs/amberfaq.pdf|archive-date=May 8, 2016|access-date=December 5, 2012}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Namesake==
{{Infobox person
| name               = Amber Hagerman
| image              = Amber Hagerman.jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = Amber Hagerman in December 1995, shortly before her abduction and murder in January 1996
| birth_name         = Amber Rene Hagerman
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1986|11|25}}
| birth_place        = [[Arlington, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1996|01|15|1986|11|25}}
| death_place        = [[Arlington, Texas]], U.S.
| death_cause        = Severe laceration wounds to her neck.
| disappeared_date   = January 13, 1996
| body_discovered    = January 17, 1996
| parents            = Donna Williams, Richard Hagerman
}}
'''Amber Rene Hagerman''' (November 25, 1986 – January 15, 1996) was a nine-year-old girl abducted while riding her bike in [[Arlington, Texas]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=The New York Times|date=January 19, 1996|title=Body of Kidnapped Texas Girl Is Found|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/19/us/body-of-kidnapped-texas-girl-is-found.html|access-date=December 12, 2016|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Her younger brother, Ricky, had gone home without her because Amber had wanted to stay in the parking lot for a while. When he returned with his grandfather, they only found her bicycle. A neighbor who had witnessed the abduction called [[9-1-1|911]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

On hearing the news, Hagerman's father, Richard, called Marc Klaas, whose daughter, Polly, had been [[Murder of Polly Klaas|kidnapped and murdered]] in [[Petaluma, California]], in 1993 and Amber's mother, Donna Whitson (now Donna Williams), called the news media and the FBI. They and their neighbors began searching for Amber.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/national/first-child-saved-amber-alert-headed-college/gT6iGpYmeKvTHzPH8QaIkN/|title=First Child Saved by Amber Alert Headed to College|date=May 11, 2017|access-date=December 22, 2018}}</ref>

Four days after her abduction, near midnight, a man walking his dog discovered Amber's naked body in a creek behind an apartment complex with severe laceration wounds to her neck. The site of the discovery was less than five miles (8&nbsp;km) from where she was abducted. Her murder remains unsolved.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pelisek |first=Christine |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Texas Girl's Abduction Inspired the Lifesaving 'Amber Alert,' but 26 Years Later Her Own Case Remains Unsolved |url=https://people.com/crime/texas-girls-abduction-inspired-amber-alert-26-years-later-case-remains-unsolved/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125232900/https://people.com/crime/texas-girls-abduction-inspired-amber-alert-26-years-later-case-remains-unsolved/ |archive-date=25 Jan 2022 |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=people.com}}</ref>

==Texas program development==
Within days of Amber's death, Donna Williams was "calling for tougher laws governing kidnappers and sex offenders".<ref name="chronjan201996">{{citation|title=Mom says tougher laws needed|date=January 20, 1996|url=https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1996_1319615|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017104128/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1996_1319615|url-status=dead|access-date=August 8, 2008|archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> Amber's parents soon established People Against Sex Offenders (PASO). They collected signatures hoping to force the [[Texas Legislature]] into passing more stringent laws to protect children.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World, Volume 1'' {{ISBN|978-1-412-97685-5}} p. 58</ref>

God's Place International Church donated the first office space for the organization, and as the search for Amber's killer continued, PASO received almost-daily coverage in local media. Companies donated various office supplies, including computer and Internet service. Congressman [[Martin Frost]], with the help of [[Marc Klaas]], drafted the Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act. Both of Hagerman's parents were present when President [[Bill Clinton]] signed the bill into law, creating the [[Sex offender registries in the United States|national sex offender registry]]. Williams and Richard Hagerman then began collecting signatures in [[Texas]], which they planned to present to then-Governor [[George W. Bush]] as a sign that people wanted more stringent laws for sex offenders.<ref name=kopenec>{{citation|last=Kopenec|first=Stefani G.|title=Young girl's kidnapper elusive: A year has passed without leads on 'low-life killer'|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=January 12, 1997|url=https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_|access-date=August 8, 2008|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020185419/https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 1996, Bruce Seybert (whose own daughter was a close friend of Amber)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/news/amber-alert-a-trademark-infringement-lawsuit-is-not-missing-6712445|title=Amber Alert: A Trademark Infringement Lawsuit is Not Missing|last=Knight|first=Paul|date=April 17, 2009|access-date=December 22, 2018|publisher=Houston Press}}</ref> and Richard Hagerman attended a media symposium in [[Arlington, Texas|Arlington]]. Although Hagerman had remarks prepared, on the day of the event the organizers asked Seybert to speak instead. In his 20-minute speech, he spoke about efforts that local police could take quickly to help find missing children and how the media could facilitate those efforts. C.J. Wheeler, a reporter from radio station [[KRLD (AM)|KRLD]], approached the [[Dallas]] police chief shortly afterward with Seybert's ideas and launched the first ever Amber Alert.<ref name=wheeler>{{citation|last=Wheeler|first=C.J.|title=Mandy's Film and TV Production Directory|newspaper=Mandy|date=January 12, 1997|url=http://www.mandy.com/home.cfm?c=whe072|quote=Launched the first ever Amber Alert in Dallas Texas. Worked closely with the parents of Amber Hagerman and other Texas Radio and TV stations to create a public alert when a child has been abducted. The idea spread nationwide.|access-date=October 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232522/http://www.mandy.com/home.cfm?c=whe072|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Williams testified in front of the [[U.S. Congress|United States Congress]] in June 1996, asking legislators to create a nationwide registry of sex offenders. Representative [[Martin Frost]], the Congressman who represents Williams' district, proposed an "Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act." Among the sections of the bill was one that would create a [[Sex offender registries in the United States|national sex offender registry]].<ref name="chronjune201996">{{citation|title=Parents push for sex offender registry: Family of slain girl fights for new bill|date=June 20, 1996|url=https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1996_1348971|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017104137/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1996_1348971|url-status=dead|access-date=August 8, 2008|archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref>

Diana Simone, a Texas resident who had been following the news, contacted the [[KDMX]] radio station and proposed broadcasts to engage passers-by in helping locate missing children.<ref name="Dsimone">{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Bud |title=From 2016: 20 years, 794 rescues — how a Hood County woman thought up Amber Alerts |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/bud-kennedy/article54808010.html |access-date=2 December 2021 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=14 January 2016 |ref=dsimone}}</ref> Her idea was picked up and for the next two years, alerts were made manually to participating radio stations. In 1998, the [[Child Alert Foundation]] created the first fully automated Alert Notification System (ANS) to notify surrounding communities when a child was reported missing or abducted. Alerts were sent to radio stations as originally requested but included television stations, surrounding law enforcement agencies, newspapers and local support organizations. These alerts were sent all at once via pagers, faxes, emails, and cell phones with the information immediately posted on the Internet for the general public to view.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Victimology: Theories and Applications'' {{ISBN|978-0-763-77210-9}} p. 312</ref>

Following the automation of the Amber alert with ANS technology created by the [[Child Alert Foundation]], the [[National Center for Missing and Exploited Children]] (NCMEC) expanded its role in 2002 to promote the Amber alert.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL31655.html|title=EveryCRSReport.com: Missing and Exploited Children: Overview and Policy Concerns|access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref>

== International adoption ==
===United States===
In October 2000, the [[United States House of Representatives]] adopted H.Res.605, which encouraged communities nationwide to implement the Amber Plan.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024|reason=Amber not found in H.Res.605}} In October 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that had declined to be a part of the Amber alert program in February 1996, launched a campaign to have Amber alert systems established nationwide.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In February 2002, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] officially endorsed the system. In 2002, several children were abducted in cases that drew national attention. One such case, the kidnapping and [[murder of Samantha Runnion]], prompted California to establish an Amber alert system on July 24, 2002.<ref name=irsay>{{citation|last=Irsay|first=Steve|title=Cold War technology helped save lives of abducted teens|date=August 5, 2002|publisher=CNN.com|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/05/ctv.alert/index.html|access-date=March 7, 2014}}</ref> According to Senator [[Dianne Feinstein]], in its first month California issued 13 Amber alerts; 12 of the children were recovered safely and the remaining alert was found to be a misunderstanding.<ref name=cnnseptember2002/>

By September 2002, 26 states had established Amber alert systems that covered all or parts of the state. A bipartisan group of US Senators, led by [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]] and [[Dianne Feinstein]], proposed legislation to name an Amber alert coordinator in the [[U.S. Justice Department]] who could help coordinate state efforts. The bill also provided $25 million in federal matching grants for states to establish Amber alert programs and necessary equipment purchases, such as electronic highway signs. A similar bill was sponsored in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] by [[Jennifer Dunn (politician)|Jennifer Dunn]] and [[Martin Frost]].<ref name=cnnseptember2002>{{citation|title=Lawmakers push national Amber alert system |date=September 4, 2002 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/04/amber.alert/index.html |access-date=August 8, 2008 |publisher=CNN.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211071817/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/04/amber.alert/index.html |archive-date=December 11, 2008 }}</ref> The bill passed the Senate unanimously within a week of its proposal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nationwide Amber Alert Bill Approved |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nationwide-amber-alert-bill-approved/ |work=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |date=September 10, 2002}}</ref> At an October 2002 conference on missing, exploited, and runaway children, President [[George W. Bush]] announced changes to the Amber alert system, including the development of a national standard for issuing Amber alerts.<ref name="bumiller">{{citation|last=Bumiller|first=Elizabeth|title=Bush Unveils Upgrade of Amber Alert System|date=October 3, 2002|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E2DA1E38F930A35753C1A9649C8B63|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203222201/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E2DA1E38F930A35753C1A9649C8B63|access-date=August 8, 2008|archive-date=February 3, 2009}}</ref> A similar bill passed the House several weeks later on a 390–24 vote.<ref>{{citation|title=House Passes Amber Alert Measure|publisher=FoxNews.com|date=October 8, 2002|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/house-passes-amber-alert-measure|access-date=August 8, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202090554/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,65135,00.html|archive-date=February 2, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A related bill became law in April 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-108publ21/content-detail.html|title=Public Law 108 – 21 – Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003'' or ''PROTECT Act|work=gpo.gov}}</ref>

The alerts were offered digitally beginning in November 2002, when [[America Online]] began a service allowing people to sign up to receive notification via computer, pager, or cell phone. Users of the service enter their [[ZIP Code]], thus allowing the alerts to be targeted to specific geographic regions.<ref name=mainelli>{{Citation|last=Mainelli |first=Tom |title=AOL Puts AMBER Alert Service Online |date=November 21, 2002 |newspaper=[[PC World]] |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article//aol_puts_amber_alert_service_online.html |access-date=August 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130070122/http://www.pcworld.com/article/aol_puts_amber_alert_service_online.html |archive-date=January 30, 2009 }}</ref>

By 2005, all fifty states had operational programs and today the program operates across state and jurisdictional boundaries.<ref name="OJP">{{cite web|title=Frequently asked questions|url=http://www.ojp.gov/newsroom/pdfs/amberfaq.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508164642/http://ojp.gov/newsroom/pdfs/amberfaq.pdf|archive-date=May 8, 2016|access-date=May 21, 2013}}</ref> {{as of|2013|January|1|df=US}}, Amber Alerts are automatically sent through the [[Commercial Mobile Alert System|Wireless Emergency Alerts]] (WEA) program.<ref name=AmberAlert>{{cite web |title=Amber Alert – WEI Information |url=http://www.amberalert.gov/wireless.htm |access-date=May 21, 2013}}</ref>

===Canada===
Canada's system began in December 2002, when [[Alberta]] launched the first province-wide system. At the time, Alberta Solicitor-General [[Heather Forsyth]] said "We anticipate an Amber Alert will only be issued once a year in Alberta. We hope we never have to use it, but if a child is abducted Amber Alert is another tool police can use to find them and help them bring the child home safely."<ref name=catvdec2003>{{cite web|title=Alberta launches 'Amber Alert' kidnap system |date=December 3, 2002 |publisher=CTV.ca |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1038869809405_30/?hub=Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221064812/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1038869809405_30/?hub=Canada |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 21, 2008 |access-date=May 21, 2013 }}</ref> The Alberta government committed to spending more than {{CA$|1|link=yes}}{{nbsp}}million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|CA|1|2002|fmt=c|r=1}}{{nbsp}}million in {{Inflation/year|CA}}) to expanding the province's emergency warning system so that it could be used effectively for Amber Alerts.<ref name=catvdec2003/> Other provinces soon adopted the system, and by May 2004, [[Saskatchewan]] was the only province that had not established an Amber Alert system.<ref name=ctvmay2004>{{citation|title=B.C., N.S. to begin using 'Amber Alert' system |date=May 25, 2004 |publisher=CTV.ca |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1085507370715_/?hub=Canada |access-date=August 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221065133/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1085507370715_/?hub=Canada |archive-date=December 21, 2008 }}</ref> Within the next year, the program was in use throughout the country.

Amber alerts may also be distributed via the [[Alert Ready]] emergency alert system, which disrupts programming on all radio, television stations, and television providers in the relevant region to display and play audio of Amber alert information. In 2018, Alert Ready introduced alerts on supported mobile devices. When an alert is broadcast, a distinct sound is played and a link to find more information is displayed onscreen. Currently, there is no way to deactivate Amber alerts on mobile devices in Canada, even if the device is in silent and/or Do Not Disturb modes, which has provoked controversy.<ref name="np-ambernaad">{{cite news|title=Matt Gurney: We need a better robot voice for Amber Alerts|url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/matt-gurney-we-need-a-better-robot-voice-for-amber-alerts|access-date=March 9, 2016|work=National Post}}</ref><ref name="cbcnews-ambernaad">{{cite web|title=Ontario viewers peeved after Amber Alert interrupts Sunday night TV-watching|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/amber-alert-complaints-1.3479683|website=CBC News|access-date=March 9, 2016}}</ref> These series of multiple blaring alarms going off in the middle of the night have caused residents to complain, often by calling 911.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/05/14/complaints-amber-alert/|title=Don't call 911 to complain about being awakened by Amber Alert: Police|work=CityNews Toronto}}</ref> However, there are concerns that hearing repeated alarms may cause Canadians to ignore the alarm when the system is used to warn of life-threatening emergencies.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==== British Columbia ====
[[TransLink (British Columbia)|Translink]], the corporation responsible for the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, displays Amber alerts on all their buses' digital signs reading "AMBER ALERT | Listen to radio | Bus #". Details of the Amber alert information are also available on screens at transit stations.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==== Quebec ====
The program was introduced in [[Quebec]] on May 26, 2003. The name AMBER alert was then adapted in French to '''A'''lerte '''M'''édiatique '''B'''ut '''E'''nfant '''R'''echerché, which directly translates as "Media Alert Goal of Child Recovery". In order to launch an AMBER alert, police authorities need to meet four criteria simultaneously and with no exceptions:
# The missing person is a child under the age of 18.
# The police have reason to believe that the missing child has been abducted.
# The police have reason to believe that the physical safety or the life of the child is in serious danger.
# The police have information that may help locate the child, the suspect and/or the suspect's vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amber Alert Police Montreal|url=http://www.spvm.qc.ca/en/Fiches/Details/AMBER-Alert|website=SVPM}}</ref>

Once all four conditions are met, the police service may call an AMBER alert. Simultaneously, all of Quebec's Ministry of transport message boards will broadcast the police's messages. The [[Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec]] (SAAQ) road traffic controllers also help with the search. Television and radio stations broadcast a description of the child, the abductor and/or the abductor's car. On the radio, the information is broadcast every 20 minutes for two hours or less if the child is found. On the television, the information is broadcast on a ticker tape at the bottom of the screen for two hours with no interruptions. After this, the ticker tape is withdrawn, but the police continue to inform the public through the usual means of communication.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Over the years, the program gathered more partners in order for the alert to be communicated on different media platforms. As in Ontario, [[lottery]] [[crown corporation]] [[Loto-Québec]] puts to the disposition of the police forces their 8,500 terminals located throughout the province. Some of these terminals are equipped with a screen that faces the customer which makes it one of the largest networks of its kind to operate in Canada. The technology employed enables them to broadcast the message on the entire network in under 10 minutes. In addition, The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) offers to most Canadians, upon free subscription, the possibility to receive, via text message, on their mobile devices AMBER alert notices.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==== Ontario ====
[[Ontario]] furthered its reach beyond media and highway signs by offering Amber alerts on the province's 9,000 [[lottery]] terminal screens.<ref name=ctvapril2005>{{citation|title=Ontario extends Amber Alert to lottery terminals |publisher=CTV.com |date=April 4, 2005 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1112634148782_/?hub=Canada |access-date=August 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221072009/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1112634148782_/?hub=Canada |archive-date=December 21, 2008 }}</ref>

After the abduction and [[Murder of Tori Stafford|murder of Victoria Stafford]], an [[online petition]] was started by Suzie Pereira, a single mother of 2 children who gathered over 61,000 signatures, prompting a review of the Amber Alert. There was some concern regarding the strict criteria for issuing the alerts&nbsp;– criteria that were not met in the Stafford case&nbsp;– that resulted in an alert not being issued. [[Ontario Provincial Police]] have since changed their rules for issuing an alert from having to ''confirm'' an abduction and ''confirm'' threat of harm, to ''believe'' that a child has been abducted and ''believe'' is at risk of harm.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/61506--changes-to-amber-alert-program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029140722/http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/61506--changes-to-amber-alert-program|url-status=dead|title=CityTV.com|archive-date=October 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=CBC.ca|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ontario-amber-alert-changes-coming-1.828316|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821180312/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/08/20/ontario-amber-alert020.html|archive-date=August 21, 2009}}</ref>

===Mexico===
Mexico joined international efforts to spread the use of the Amber alert at an official launch ceremony on April 28, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 18, 2013|title=El Universal – – México, en red de alerta para extraviados |url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/185076.html|work=eluniversal.com.mx|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Home|website=Alerta AMBER México|url=http://alertaamber.mx/?p%3D12 |access-date=May 11, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811075034/http://alertaamber.mx/?p=12 |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Australia===
[[File:AmberAlert2.wav|thumb|The Queensland Police amber alert sound effect]]
The Australian state of [[Queensland]] implemented a version of the Amber alerts in May 2005.<ref name=waters>{{citation|last=Waters|first=Jeff|title=Amber Alert|publisher=Stateline Queensland|date=May 13, 2005|url=http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2005/s1368253.htm|access-date=September 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221004604/http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2005/s1368253.htm|archive-date=December 21, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Other Australian states joined Queensland in Facebook's Amber Alert program in June 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-police-and-facebook-launch-amber-alert-child-abduction-system-20170622-gww3io.html|title=Australian police and Facebook launch AMBER Alert child abduction system|last=Benny-Morrison|first=Ava|date=2017-06-22|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=2017-08-01|language=en-US}}</ref>

===New Zealand===
The New Zealand Police launched their own version of the system in November 2017. When an alert is issued, it inserts information about the missing individual in the news feeds of [[Facebook]] users in the target area, and news organisations are alerted.<ref name="NewZealand">{{Cite press release |first=Philippa |last=Ormrod |title=Police and Facebook launch AMBER Alerts system in NZ |publisher=[[New Zealand Police]] |date=2017-11-09 |url=https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/police-and-facebook-launch-amber-alerts-system-nz |access-date=2025-01-29}}</ref>

===Europe===

====France====
In February 2006, France's [[Justice ministry]] launched an apparatus based on the AMBER alerts named Alerte-Enlèvement (''abduction alert'') or Dispositif Alerte-Enlèvement (''abduction alert apparatus'') with the help of most media <!-- "media" is already the plural of "medium," thus the "s" has been removed --> and railroad and motorway companies.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

====Netherlands====
[[File:AMBER Alert standalone logo.svg|thumb|Logo of AMBER Alert Netherlands]]
AMBER Alert Netherlands was launched in 2008. On February 14, 2009, the first Dutch AMBER alert was issued when a 4-year-old boy went missing in [[Rotterdam]]. He was found safe and sound after being recognized by a person who saw his picture on an electronic billboard in a fast food restaurant. He was recovered so quickly, that the transmission of the AMBER alert was halted before all recipients received it.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

An AMBER alert is issued when a child is missing or abducted and the Dutch police fear that the life or health of the child is in imminent danger. The system enables the police to immediately alert press and public nationwide, by means of electronic highway signs, TV, radio, social media, PCs, large advertising screens (digital signage), email, text messages, apps, RSS news feeds, website banners and pop-ups.<ref name="nl.missingkids.com">{{cite web|url=http://nl.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_NL&PageId=3865 |title=Netherlands – AMBER Alert |work=missingkids.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624020956/http://nl.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_NL&PageId=3865 |archive-date=June 24, 2015 }}</ref> There are four key criteria in The Netherlands to be met before an AMBER Alert is issued:
# The child is (very likely) abducted by an unknown person or persons or the child is missing and its life is in imminent danger
# The victim is a minor (under 18 years of age);
# There is enough information about the victim to increase the chances of the child being found by means of an AMBER alert, such as a photo, information about the abductor or the vehicle used during the abduction;
# The AMBER alert is issued as soon as possible after the abduction or disappearance of the child.<ref name="politie.nl">{{cite web|url=http://www.politie.nl/onderwerpen/amber-alert.html|title=Amber Alert|work=politie.nl|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229131749/http://www.politie.nl/onderwerpen/amber-alert.html|archive-date=December 29, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
In 2021, Dutch police authorities proposed to merge Amber alerts into the ''[[Burgernet]]'' system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-03 |title=Police to stop use of AMBER Alerts in favor of Dutch system Burgernet {{!}} NL Times |url=https://nltimes.nl/2021/04/03/police-stop-use-amber-alerts-favor-dutch-system-burgernet |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=nltimes.nl |language=en}}</ref> Parliament blocked the initiative.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-24 |title=MP's say they want Amber Alert system to stay in use {{!}} NL Times |url=https://nltimes.nl/2021/06/24/mps-say-want-amber-alert-system-stay-use |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=nltimes.nl |language=en}}</ref> Dutch police continues to send Amber alerts through Burgernet as well as its own social media.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wat is Burgernet? |url=https://www.politie.nl/informatie/wat-is-burgernet.html |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=www.politie.nl |language=nl}}</ref>

====United Kingdom====
On April 1, 2007, the AMBER alert system became active in [[North West England]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/police-to-interrupt-tv-programmes-to-stop-child-abductions-7170937.html |title=Police to Interrupt TV Programmes to Stop Child Abductions |work=The Evening Standard |date=2 April 2007|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> An implementation across the rest of Britain was planned at that time. This was realized on May 25, 2010, with the nationwide launch of the Child Rescue Alert, based on the AMBER alert system. The first system in the UK of this kind was created in [[Sussex]] on November 14, 2002. This was followed by versions in Surrey and Hampshire. By 2005, every local jurisdiction in England and [[Wales]] had its own form of alert system.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Child Rescue Alert
 |access-date=March 25, 2011
 |url=http://www.npia.police.uk/cra/
 |publisher=National Policing Improvement Agency
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129235918/http://www.npia.police.uk/cra/
 |archive-date=January 29, 2011
}}</ref> The system was first used in the UK on October 3, 2012, with regard to missing 5 year-old [[Murder of April Jones|April Jones]] in Wales.

====Ireland====
In April 2009, it was announced that an AMBER alert system would be set up in Ireland, In May 2012, the Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert was officially introduced.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Abducted child alert system begins|url=https://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/abducted-child-alert-system-begins-26857882.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804134634/http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/abducted-child-alert-system-begins-3119093.html|archive-date=August 4, 2012|access-date=May 3, 2020|website=independent|date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref> Ireland's first AMBER alert was issued upon the disappearance of two boys,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bodies-of-boys-to-be-returned-home-29456864.html|title=Bodies of boys to be returned home|website=independent|date=July 29, 2013 }}</ref> Eoghan (10) and Ruairí Chada (5).

====Serbia====
The AMBER alert system, called "{{langx|sr|Pronađi me|label=none}}" ({{Translation|Find me}}) started operating in Serbia on October 25, 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Evropa |first=Radio Slobodna |date=2023-10-25 |title=U Srbiji pušten u rad sistem po uzoru na Amber alert |url=https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/amber-alert-srbija-deca/32653148.html |access-date=2024-03-27 |work=Radio Slobodna Evropa |language=sh}}</ref> It was first activated on March 26, 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=srbija.gov.rs |title=Amber alert activated in Serbia tonight for the first time |url=https://www.srbija.gov.rs/vest/en/220908/amber-alert-activated-in-serbia-tonight-for-the-first-time.php |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=www.srbija.gov.rs |language=en}}</ref> due to the disappearance of two-year-old girl, [[Danka Ilić]], in Banjsko Polje in [[Bor, Serbia|Bor]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The alerts are distributed via SMS messages and TV programs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-25 |title="Pronađi me" - kako funkcioniše sistem za pronalaženje nestale dece u Srbiji |trans-title="Pronađi me" - how the Serbian system for searching for missing children works |url=https://insajder.net/teme/pronadi-me-kako-funkcionise-sistem-za-pronalazenje-nestale-dece-u-srbiji |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102224159/https://insajder.net/teme/pronadi-me-kako-funkcionise-sistem-za-pronalazenje-nestale-dece-u-srbiji |archive-date=2023-11-02 |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=insajder.net |language=sr-Latn}}</ref>

====Slovakia====
Since April 2015, an emergency child abduction alert system "AMBER Alert Slovakia" is also available in Slovakia. (www.amberalert.sk)

====Ukraine====
On 22 September 2021, Ukraine's [[Ministry of Digital Transformation (Ukraine)|Ministry of Digital Transformation]], the [[National Police of Ukraine]] and Facebook announced the launch of AMBER alert in Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thedigital.gov.ua/news/facebook-u-partnerstvi-z-natspolitsieyu-ta-mintsifroyu-zapuskae-sistemu-spovishchennya-dlya-poshuku-zniklikh-ditey-v-ukraini|title = Facebook у партнерстві з Нацполіцією та Мінцифрою запускає систему сповіщення для пошуку зниклих дітей в Україні}}</ref>

===China===
On 15 May 2016, the [[Ministry of Public Security (China)|Ministry of Public Security]] of the [[People's Republic of China]] announced the Ministry of Public Security Emergency Release Platform for Children's Missing Information in [[Beijing]], which was soon rolled out to the rest of the country. It is run by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security and receives technical support from [[Alibaba Group]]. The platform pushes information of missing children confirmed by the police to the mobile phones of the people around the place where the children disappeared, to mobilise people in the area to find and provide feedback on clues related to abductions, trafficking, and related crimes in the area.<ref name="qd">{{cite news |author1=邢丙银 |author2=曾雅青 |title=公安部启动儿童失踪信息紧急发布平台，信息精准推送相关人群 |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1469529 |access-date=2019-06-30 |work=澎湃新闻 |date=2016-05-15 |url-status=live |archive-date=2020-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917150103/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1469529}}</ref>

=== Ecuador ===
In 2018, Ecuador's Department of Security introduced its own Amber alert called Emilia alert, named after the abducted girl Emilia Benavides in December 2017.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

===Malaysia===
In September 2007, [[Malaysia]] implemented the Nurin Alert. Based on the Amber alert, it is named for a missing eight-year-old girl, [[Nurin Jazlin]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

=== Morocco ===
In March 2023, the [[Sûreté Nationale (Morocco)|General Directorate of National Security]] of [[Morocco]] developed a system in cooperation with [[Meta Platforms]] based on the Amber Alert, named "Tifli Moukhtafi" ({{Lit|my child is missing}}).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-11 |title=Alerte disparition sur le dispositif "TifliMokhtafi" lancé par la DGSN en partenariat avec Meta |url=https://medias24.com/2023/03/11/alerte-disparition-sur-le-dispositif-tiflimokhtafi-lance-par-la-dgsn-en-partenariat-avec-meta/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=Médias24 |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=Alerte enfants disparus : la DGSN lance le dispositif "Tifli moukhtafi" en partenariat avec Meta |url=https://medias24.com/2023/03/07/alerte-enfants-disparus-la-dgsn-lance-le-dispositif-tifli-moukhtafi-en-partenariat-avec-meta/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=Médias24 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> The alerts are distributed via SMS and on platforms owned by Meta.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-08 |title=Enfants disparus : la DGSN lance le dispositif " Tifli Moukhtafi " en collaboration avec Meta |url=https://ledesk.ma/2023/03/08/enfants-disparus-la-dgsn-lance-le-dispositif-tifli-moukhtafi-en-collaboration-avec-meta/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=Le Desk |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

=== Russia ===
In 2019, [[MegaFon|Megafon]] developed its own alert system called MegaFon.Poisk. It is oriented for all regions of Russia where MegaFon is represented and is used for searches of children and adults as well. For less than half of a year, the service has been used for searching of more than 250 people and in more than 30% of situations people called back with information about a lost person.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rb.ru/opinion/kejs-megafon/|title=Как большие данные помогают в поиске пропавших людей: кейс компании "МегаФон"|website=Rusbase|date=October 4, 2019 |language=ru|access-date=2019-10-08}}</ref>

==Retrieval rates==
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, of the children abducted and murdered by strangers, 75% are killed within the first three hours of their abduction.<ref name=irsay/> Amber alerts are designed to inform the general public quickly when a child has been kidnapped and is in danger so "the public [would be] additional eyes and ears of law enforcement".<ref name=irsay/> {{as of|2013|August|df=US}}, the [[National Center for Missing & Exploited Children|National Center for Missing and Exploited Children]] said 656 children were recovered because of the Amber alert program.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/0811/Amber-Alerts-How-successful-have-they-been-in-saving-abducted-kids | title=Amber Alerts: How successful have they been in saving abducted kids? | work=Christian Science Monitor | date=August 11, 2013 | access-date=June 17, 2025 | author=Knickerbocker, Brad}}</ref>

A [[Scripps Howard]] study of the 233 Amber alerts in the United States in 2004 found that most issued alerts did not meet the Department of Justice's criteria. That is, 50% (117 alerts) were categorized as [[parental abduction|family abductions]], e.g., a parent involved in a custody dispute. There were 48 alerts for children who had not been abducted at all, but were lost, ran away, involved in family misunderstandings (for example, two instances where the child was with grandparents), or as the result of hoaxes. Another 23 alerts were issued in cases where police did not know the name of the allegedly abducted child, often as the result of misunderstandings by witnesses who reported an abduction. Seventy of the 233 Amber alerts issued in 2004 (30%) were actually children taken by strangers or who were unlawfully travelling with adults other than their legal guardians.<ref>{{cite web|title=False alarms endangering future of Amber Alert system|date=July 17, 2005|access-date=July 26, 2014|url=http://newsok.com/missing-bogus-alarms-endanger-amber-alert-systems-future-br-officials-often-ignore-federal-guidelines/article/2904100|first=Thomas|last=Hargrove|publisher=Scripps Howard News Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726144221/http://newsok.com/missing-bogus-alarms-endanger-amber-alert-systems-future-br-officials-often-ignore-federal-guidelines/article/2904100|archive-date=2014-07-26}}</ref>

According to the ''2014 Amber Alert Report'', 186 Amber alerts were issued in the US, involving 239 children – 60 of whom were taken by strangers or people other than their legal guardians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amberalert.gov/pdfs/2014AMBERAlertReport.pdf|title=2014 Amber Alert Report}}</ref>

==Similar alerts==

Some municipalities have used the wireless emergency alert system for categories of people beyond missing children.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In 2012, California created the [[Silver Alert]] for missing elderly people, followed by the "feather alert" for missing [[Indigenous peoples|Indigenous]] people in 2022,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chp.ca.gov/Pages/Silver-Alert.aspx |title=Silver Alert |website=[[California Highway Patrol]] |access-date=September 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chp.ca.gov/Pages/Feather-Alert.aspx |title=Feather Alert |website=[[California Highway Patrol]] |access-date=September 25, 2024}}</ref> and then the "ebony alert" for missing [[African American|Black]] children and young women. Supporters of the ebony alert say that this will dedicate resources to missing Black youths that may not be given sufficient attention through Amber alerts.<ref>{{cite web |title=California just created the 'Ebony Alert' to find missing Black children |website=[[NBC News]] |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/california-just-created-ebony-alert-find-missing-black-children-rcna119679 |date=October 10, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chp.ca.gov/Pages/Ebony-Alert.aspx |title=Ebony Alert |website=[[California Highway Patrol]] |access-date=September 25, 2024}}</ref>

Since 2008, Texas has implemented the "blue alert" for suspected cases of serious injury to police officers.<ref name=HurstCBS>{{cite news|last=Hurst|work=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/fcc-gets-thousands-of-complaints-blue-alert-in-texas-shooting/|title=FCC gets thousands of complaints over Blue Alert in Texas shooting}}</ref><ref name="FinnertySpectrum">{{cite news|last=Finnerty|work=Spectrum News 1|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2024/10/04/blue-alert-sparks-conversation-about-texas--alert-system|title='I am not Batman:' Early morning blue alert sparks conversation about Texas' emergency alert system}}</ref>

==Controversies==
===Crime control theater===
Some outside scholars examining the system in depth disagree with the "official" results.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/07/20/abducted/|title=The Amber alert system is more effective as theater than as a way to protect children|newspaper=The Boston Globe |last1=Bennett|first1=Drake}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miller-mccune.com/legal-affairs/amber-alerts-largely-ineffective-study-shows-4792/ |author=Tom Jacobs |date=December 15, 2007|title=AMBER Alerts Largely Ineffective, Study Shows |access-date=May 26, 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=May 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527212327/http://www.miller-mccune.com/legal-affairs/amber-alerts-largely-ineffective-study-shows-4792/}}</ref><ref name="Preliminary Examination">{{cite journal |title=A Preliminary Examination of AMBER Alert's Effects|journal=Criminal Justice Policy Review |date=December 1, 2007|doi=10.1177/0887403407302332|last1=Griffin|first1=Timothy|last2=Miller|first2=Monica K.|last3=Hoppe|first3=Jeffrey|last4=Rebideaux|first4=Amy|last5=Hammack|first5=Rachel|volume=18|issue=4 |pages=378–394 |s2cid=144706052}}</ref> A research team led by criminologist Timothy Griffin reviewed hundreds of abduction cases that occurred between 2003 and 2006 and found that Amber alerts had little apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children. The Amber alerts tended to "succeed" in relatively mundane abductions, such as when the child was taken by a noncustodial parent or other family member. There was little evidence that Amber alerts routinely "saved lives", although a crucial research constraint was the impossibility of knowing what would have happened if no alert had been issued in a particular case.<ref name="Preliminary Examination"/>

Griffin and coauthor Monica Miller articulated the limits to Amber alerts in a subsequent research article. They stated that alerts are inherently constrained, because success in the most menacing cases requires a rapid synchronization of several events (rapid discovery that the child is missing and subsequent alert, the fortuitous discovery of the child or abductor by a citizen, and so forth). Furthermore, there is contention between the need for rapid recovery and the prerogative to maintain the strict issuance criteria to reduce the number of frivolous alerts, creating a dilemma for law enforcement officials and public backlash when alerts are not issued in cases ending as tragedies. Finally, the implied causal model of alert (rapid recovery can save lives) is in a sense the opposite of reality: in the worst abduction scenarios, the intentions of the perpetrator usually guarantee that anything public officials do will be "too slow".{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Because the system is publicly praised for saving lives despite these limitations, Griffin and Miller argue that Amber alert acts as "crime control theater" in that it "creates the appearance but not the fact of crime control".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Griffin|first1=T.|last2=Miller|first2=M. K.|title=Child Abduction, AMBER Alert, and Crime Control Theater|journal=Criminal Justice Review|date=June 1, 2008|volume=33|issue=2|pages=159–176|doi=10.1177/0734016808316778|s2cid=145360725}}</ref> Amber alert is thus a socially constructed "solution" to the rare but intractable crime of child-abduction murder. Griffin and Miller have subsequently applied the concept to other emotional but ineffective legislation such as [[safe-haven laws]] and polygamy raids. Griffin considers his findings preliminary, reporting his team examined only a portion of the Amber alerts issued over the three-year period they focused on, so he recommends taking a closer look at the evaluation of the program and its intended purpose, instead of simply promoting the program.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===Overuse and desensitization===
Advocates for missing children have expressed concerns that the public is gradually becoming [[Alarm fatigue|desensitized]] to Amber alerts because of a large number of false or overly broad alarms, where police issue an Amber alert without strictly adhering to the [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]]'s activation guidelines.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/overuse-false-alarms-threaten-impact-of-amber-alert/article_cf506975-4bf1-5be8-85b1-3c0bcc96455f.html | title=Overuse, false alarms threaten impact of Amber Alert | work=Santa Fe New Mexican | date=December 1, 2013 | access-date=May 13, 2015 | author=Quintana, Chris}}</ref>

The timing of a July 2013 New York child abduction alert sent through the [[Wireless Emergency Alerts]] system at 4 a.m. raised concerns that many cellphone users would disable WEA alerts.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/18/nyregion/early-morning-alert-issued-after-7-month-old-boy-is-abducted.html "Wake-Up Call for New Yorkers as Police Seek Abducted Boy"], NY Times</ref>

In 2024, the [[Texas Department of Public Safety]] sent a [[Amber alert#Similar alerts|blue alert]] at 4:50 a.m. to cell phones across the state, some as far as eight hours' drive from the incident location.<ref name=FinnertySpectrum /> The alert prompted thousands of complaints to the [[Federal Communications Commission]],<ref name=HurstCBS /> along with public expressions of disbelief that the state government would expect private individuals to wake up in the middle of the night to search for the suspect.<ref name=MeurerKSAT>{{cite news|last=Meurer|url=https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/10/04/this-public-safety-alert-woke-texans-up-and-the-internet-was-not-happy-about-it/|work=KSAT|title=This public safety alert woke Texans up, and the internet was not happy about it}}</ref>

===Health effects===
A family in Texas claimed their child suffered a ruptured eardrum and inner ear damage, resulting in permanent [[hearing loss]] and [[tinnitus]], when an Amber alert was pushed through his [[earphones]] at an "ear-shattering volume".<ref>{{cite news|last=Butterfield|first=Michelle|title=Texas family sues Apple, claiming loud Amber Alert damaged son's hearing|date=2022-05-20|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8851556/apple-lawsuit-amber-alert-hearing-damage/|work=Global News}}</ref>

==Effects on traffic==
[[File:Amber Alert.jpg|thumb|An [[Variable-message sign|electronic traffic-condition sign]] displaying an AMBER Alert.]]
Amber alerts are often displayed on [[Variable-message sign|electronic message signs]]. The Federal Highway Administration has instructed states to display alerts on highway signs sparingly, citing safety concerns from distracted drivers and the negative impacts of [[traffic congestion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-15-me-wheel15-story.html|title=Do Amber Alerts Put Drivers in Jeopardy?|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 15, 2002}}</ref>

Many states have policies in place that limit the use of Amber alerts on freeway signs. In Los Angeles, an Amber alert issued in October 2002 that was displayed on area freeway signs caused significant [[traffic congestion]]. As a result, the [[California Highway Patrol]] elected not to display the alerts during rush hour, citing safety concerns.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-05-me-alert5-story.html|title=Traffic Jams Prompt Amber Alert Shut-Off in L.A.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 5, 2002}}</ref> The state of Wisconsin only displays Amber alerts on freeway signs if it is deemed appropriate by the transportation department and a public safety agency. Amber alerts do not preempt messages related to traffic safety.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amberalertwisconsin.org/docs/AmbE0403.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725002147/http://www.amberalertwisconsin.org/docs/AmbE0403.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Amberalertwisconsin.org|archive-date=July 25, 2011}}</ref>

==Influence==
The [[United States Postal Service]] issued a [[postage stamp]] [[Commemorative stamp|commemorating]] Amber alerts in May 2006. The 39-cent stamp features a chalk pastel drawing by artist Vivienne Flesher of a reunited mother and child, with the text "AMBER ALERT saves missing children" across the pane. The stamp was released as part of the observance of [[National Missing Children's Day]].<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Postal Service issues new stamp promoting social awareness |url=http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_029.htm |publisher=United States Postal Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508201322/http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_029.htm |archive-date=May 8, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amberalert.gov/newsroom/pdfs/amber_stamp.pdf|title=Amber Alert Stamp}}</ref>

In 2006, a TV movie, ''Amber's Story'', was broadcast on [[Lifetime Television|Lifetime]]. It starred [[Elisabeth Röhm]] and Sophie Hough.

A comic book entitled ''Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice: A Night Owl Story'' was published by Wham Bang Comics in 2009. Geared toward a young audience by teen author Jake Tinsley and [[manga]] artist Jason Dube, it tells Amber's story, recounts the investigation into her murder, and touches on the effect her death has had on young children and parents everywhere. It was created to promote what was then a reopened investigation into her murder.<ref>{{cite web |author=Lita Beck |url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/archive/Kid-Superhero-Takes-on-Amber-Hagerman-Case.html |title=Comic Book Hero Takes on Real Life Murder Case|publisher=NBCWashington.com |date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=August 20, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110714161604/http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/archive/Kid-Superhero-Takes-on-Amber-Hagerman-Case.html| archive-date= July 14, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=John |author2=Olshaker, Mark |title=Journey Into Darkness: Follow the FBI's Premier Investigative Profiler as He Penetrates the Minds and Motives of the Most Terrifying Serial Killers |year=1996 |publisher=Arrow Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-749-32394-3 |oclc=43140792}}
* {{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Paul |year=2011 |title=Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |isbn=978-1-437-98383-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Charles |year=2005 |title=Faces of the Amber Alert |location=Bloomington, Indiana |publisher=Author House |isbn=978-1-420-86783-1}}

==External links==
* [http://www.amberalert.gov/ U.S. government AMBER alert site]
* [http://www.ourmissingchildren.gc.ca/ Our Missing Children (Government of Canada)]
* [https://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/permalink/meta-crs-7629 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on Amber Alert program technology]
* [http://www.amberalertnederland.nl/ AMBER Alert Nederland site, the Dutch Amber alert]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101225163234/http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=4319 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140403043412/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/amber_hagerman/1_index.html Crime Library on Amber Hagerman]

{{Presidency of George W. Bush}}

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[[Category:Child safety]]
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