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The U.S. Department of Justice commemorated the 12-year anniversary of the AMBER Alert program on January 13, 2008, by outlining the tremendous success of this initiative, which has saved the lives of hundreds of children nationwide.

The AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response) Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. Its name was inspired by Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old who was abducted and brutally murdered in 1996. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.

In October 2002, President Bush hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children. Following the 2002 White House Conference, the Attorney General appointed the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to serve as the national AMBER Alert Coordinator and a national strategy was developed to create a seamless national network of alert systems. The PROTECT (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today) Act, which President Bush signed into law in April 2003, statutorily established the national AMBER Alert Coordinator role. Since that time, AMBER Alert has made remarkable progress.

• All 50 States have statewide AMBER Alert plans, creating a network of systems nationwide to aid in the recovery of abducted children.



• A secondary distribution effort undertaken in partnership with wireless companies, online service providers, and other private and public entities enables AMBER Alerts to be sent directly to the public.



• Tribal nations are developing their own plans tailored to their specific needs so that children in Indian country may benefit from AMBER Alerts.



• More than 90 percent of the 393 AMBER Alert recoveries have occurred since AMBER Alert became a nationally coordinated effort in 2002.



• Anecdotal evidence demonstrates that perpetrators are well aware of the power of AMBER Alert and, in many cases, have released an abducted child upon hearing the alert.

Wireless users can sign up to receive geographically specific messages on their wireless devices or cell phones by registering on the Wireless Amber Alerts Web site or by visiting their wireless carrier's Web site.

For more information and to view current AMBER Alerts, visit the Office of Justice Programs AMBER Alert Web site.