January 13th Marks 10-Year Anniversary of National Amber Alert System

(Salem) - With 241 children recovered nationwide, including thirteen in Oregon, the first AMBER Alert Awareness Day is commemorated Friday, January 13, 2006, ten years since the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman in Arlington, Texas. Since the first program was implemented in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the program has grown into a seamless network of over 100 AMBER plans across the country and has even reached into Canada and parts of England.

The AMBER Alert Plan, named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. There are currently 50 statewide plans, 27 regional and 37 local AMBER Alert Plans “ American's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response - throughout the country designed to send an emergency alert to the public when a child has been abducted and it is believed the child's life is in danger.

In November 2002, the State of Oregon announced that a statewide AMBER Alert Plan was developed and activated. Since implemented, the Oregon AMBER Plan has been activated 11 times resulting in the safe recovery of thirteen children. Nearly one year ago, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski announced the expansion of Oregon's AMBER Plan through the launching of Oregon's AMBER Alert Web Portal.

When the Oregon AMBER Plan is activated, the Oregon State Police, who are the designated coordinator of the plan, communicate with the requesting law enforcement agency to ensure the plan guidelines and criteria have been met.

Oregon's AMBER Plan criteria are:

1. Law enforcement confirms a child has been abducted (this alert system is not be used when a child runs away or involves a custodial situation)

2. The child is 17 years or younger

3. The child may be in danger of serious bodily harm or death

4. There is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help.

The AMBER Alert Web Portal enhanced the state's current AMBER Alert program by putting information about an abducted child and the suspected kidnapper into the hands of potentially millions of people through their cell phones, pagers, email, or other wireless devices. Once the Oregon State Police enter the information into the Portal, it is immediately available on the Internet and also sent to those who have signed up to receive alerts; a process that is cutting hours off the original alert system.

At no cost, anyone can sign up to be notified of Oregon's AMBER Alerts on the Oregon State Police website at www.oregon.gov/OSP by clicking on the link for the AMBER Alert Web Portal.

For more information on the AMBER Alert Plan in Oregon, please visit the web page at:
http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/AMBERALERT/amber_alert_web_portal.shtml.

Additional information about missing children and the AMBER Alert Plan is available on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website at www.missingkids.com.