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[Music] AMBER® Alert. Keeping Hope Alive: The AMBER Alert Program. [Images: The AMBER® Alert logo, seal of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, and logo of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs (OJJDP).]
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[Music] AMBER Alert Awareness Day is January 13. The program began in Texas following the 1996 abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. [Image: Color photo of Amber Hagerman, a light complexioned child with shoulder length brown hair and an image of a Missing Stranger Abduction notice with a black and white photo and a description of the child, along with details about her last known whereabouts.]
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[Music] Alerts are broadcast on digital highway signs, radio, television, and wireless devices when an abducted child is determined to be in imminent danger. [Image: overhead traffic sign with the words AMBER ALERT. CALL 511 for info.]
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[Music] AMBER Alerts are activated by law enforcement. OJJDP funds the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to serve as a national resource center on issues related to missing and exploited children and operate a national toll-free hotline. [Image: Logo with a yellow heart and a silhouette in black of three children with the words National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®]
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[Music] NCMEC oversees the secondary distribution of AMBER Alerts using cell phones, social media, billboards, and more.
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[Music] 1998: Rae-Leigh Bradbury was 8 weeks old when she was abducted by her babysitter in Arlington, TX. She was the first child rescued because of the AMBER Alert Program, 90 minutes after law enforcement activated the alert. [Image: Photo of John Walsh, co-founder of NCMEC, Rae-Leigh Bradbury and her parents..]
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[Music] 2002: White House Conference on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children brings AMBER Alert program into national focus. [Image: The White House front lawn and fountain bordered by red flowers.]
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[Music] 2003: The PROTECT Act is signed into law. The Act— Designates a National AMBER Alert Coordinator within the Justice Department. Strengthens law enforcement’s ability to prevent, investigate, and prosecute violent crimes committed against children. [Image: A light complexioned male in black uniform and hat sits with a light complexioned child in a grey hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants.]
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[Music] 2005: Hawaii is 50th state to adopt statewide AMBER Alert program. [Image: a yellow circle with a silhouette of the earth globe rotating and images of cellphones with messages surrounding the globe.]
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[Music] 2005: Geographically specific alerts become available through wireless devices. [Image: a yellow circle with a silhouette of the earth globe rotating and images of cellphones with messages surrounding the globe.]
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[Music] 2007: Justice Department launches AMBER Alert in Indian Country Initiative. The Initiative helps 10 demonstration sites develop their child recovery resources and practices. [Image: A photo of Monument Valley landscape with the words AMBER ALERT IN INDIAN COUNTRY superimposed in white text.]
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[Music] 2008: Outdoor Advertising Association of America joins the AMBER Alert partnership, expanding the reach of AMBER Alerts. [Image: A billboard with a sample of an AMBER Alert that shows a phone number, a photo and name of the missing child with a brief description, and vehicle details.]
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[Music] 2009: All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have AMBER Alert plans. Program expands into Canada and Mexico. [Image: A rotating yellow globe with the AMBER Alert logo and a small map of the United States showing details about alert availability for each state.]
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[Music] 2013: Google provides AMBER Alert updates to Google Maps and Google Search users. AMBER Alert launches the Wireless Emergency Alert System for Facebook and cellphones. [Image: Three screen shots of a smartphone with information about a missing child that includes the photo of a dark-complexioned child with black hair and pink clothing along with details that describe the child and the known circumstances of the abduction.]
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[Music] 2015: 18,700+ law enforcement professionals trained on the AMBER Alert system. Google integrates AMBER Alerts into the Waze app. [Image: A pop-up screen with details about the missing child in the previous slide, with details about the child’s name and more information about last known whereabouts, above a map that shows a region of the U.S. with an interstate and names of streets.]
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[Music] 2019: Congress passes the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. OJJDP launches AMBER Alert in Indian Country website: www.amber-ic.org [Image: A screenshot of the website for AMBER Alert in Indian Country showing four law enforcement officers in varying uniforms.]
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[Music] 2020: The AMBER Alert program marks its 1,000th successful child recovery. [Image: A screenshot of the NCMEC Blog website with two photos of Amber and the words “An Enduring Legacy for Amber: 1,000 Success Stories]
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[Music] 2024: In fiscal year 2024, OJJDP awarded $48,794,666 million to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and $2 million to the National AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program. [Image: The AMBER Alert logo.]
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[Music] 2024: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children marked its 40th year. The Missing Children’s Assistance Act was added as Title IV under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, when the Act was reauthorized in 1984. [Image: A black and white photo of an office with three individuals and a large dog and displays of posters with missing children on the walls.]
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[Music] AMBER Alert Statistics as of December 6, 2024. 1,121 Children have been recovered due to AMBER Alerts. 81 AMBER Alert plans throughout the United States. 195 Children have been recovered due to Wireless Emergency Alerts. [Image: Statistic numbers appear in yellow circles with red circles nested inside.]
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[Music] “Recovering missing and abducted children safely requires teamwork and tenacity at every level of the AMBER Alert network—AMBER Alert coordinators, state clearinghouse managers, and Child Abduction Response Team members—and help from caring people across the country. Thank you for the hope you bring to families during the darkest of times.” OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan [Image: Photo of OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan smiling and dressed in black clothing with a double strand of white pearls.]
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[Music] OJJDP Logo, URL: ojjdp.ojp.gov with Facebook, X, and YouTube logos and @ojpojjdp handle. © 2025 OJJDP. Image(s) and/or footage used under license from Shutterstock.com, iStock.com and stock.adobe.com
