Amber Alert

Just hours after 5-year-old Maria Cuellar was lured into a stolen van and kidnapped in April 2001, she was recovered unharmed thanks to the AMBER Plan. Authorities with the Houston Police Department say a man in his 20s had enticed Maria into his stolen van. Not long after Maria was abducted an AMBER Alert was broadcast throughout the Houston region describing Maria, her abductor, and the van. After the alert hit the airwaves, a man in the community came forward and told police that he had seen a child with a man matching broadcasters’ description of the kidnapper in his neighborhood. After a rapid search of the area

indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death

Last month, President George W. Bush announced that his administration is taking immediate action to help develop and enhance the AMBER Plan. President Bush directed the Attorney General John Ashcroft to establish an AMBER Alert coordinator at the Justice Department. This position will oversee the establishment of nationwide standards for issuing AMABER Alerts to help ensure that the use of the system is reserved for rare instances of serious child abductions. The President also announced they will provide a total of $10 million from existing funds to develop AMBER training and education programs and to facilitate the use of overhead electronic highway message.

The AMBER Plan is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System to air a description of the abducted child and suspected abductor. This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies. The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the child.

Each program establishes its own

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