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| Wilson Praises AOL/APD Partnership to Find Missing Kids |
April 17, 2003 |
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AMBER Alerts Available to AOL Users
Albuquerque, NM—Congresswoman Heather Wilson today applauded the Albuquerque Police Department and America Online for their partnership to make AMBER Alerts available to AOL users. The partnership allows for AMBER Alerts to be transmitted via e-mail or instant message when a child is abducted and law enforcement decides to enact the AMBER Alert. Previously, AMBER Alerts were available only through broadcast media like television and radio stations.
“This increases the reach of the AMBER Alerts, which increases the probability that a child’s life could be saved,” said Wilson. “I commend America Online for their commitment to this program and to child safety. AOL and their call center here, employing 1,100 New Mexicans, continues to be a good neighbor. I also commend the men and women of the Albuquerque Police Department for taking advantage of this opportunity. It’s my hope today that other law enforcement agencies in this state will follow suit by making AOL AMBER Alerts available statewide.”
“AOL believes strongly in helping to protect children,” said Paul Volner, General Manager of AOL`s Albuquerque call center. “We have a very strong parental control system in our online product and are always looking for ways to help in the fight to keep kids safe.”
“I hope we never have to use the AMBER Alert. I think every parent will certainly tell you that,” says APD Chief Gilbert Gallegos, a member of the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “But the reality is, kidnappings can happen. We want to be able to respond with every single resource we have available to us, and the AMBER Alert will allow us to instantly mobilize radio listeners, TV viewers, and web surfers like never before. That’s community policing at it’s best.”
New Mexico’s broadcast media led efforts in New Mexico to establish the AMBER Alerts after Wilson approached them and New Mexico law enforcement, asking them to consider partnering together to offer a service that could save a child’s life. AMBER Alerts became available in New Mexico in April 2001 after months of planning to ensure that AMBER Alerts are used properly.
Today, the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Mexico State Police all have established AMBER Alert programs. AOL AMBER Alerts are only available through APD, though Wilson has asked the other two law enforcement agencies to establish partnerships with America Online.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of passage of federal and state AMBER Alert legislation designed to strengthen the voluntary program. The federal legislation makes federal grants available to states with AMBER Alert programs and gives the Department of Justice the responsibility of coordinating interstate AMBER Alerts. President Bush is expected to sign that legislation in May as Congress reconvenes. The Department of Justice, which now has an AMBER Alert National Coordinator, is developing the grant program passed by Congress.
Officials from the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s office, and the New Mexico State Police have worked hand-in-hand with the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and Wilson’s office to create the current AMBER partnership.
In October 2000, Wilson, a member of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, passed a resolution on the House floor urging communities around the country to implement the AMBER Alert. At that time, AMBER Alerts were just beginning to spread across the country. After passage of Wilson’s resolution, Wilson and her staff laid the groundwork in New Mexico for implementation of the program in Albuquerque.
“This partnership between broadcasters and law enforcement, and today, America Online, will create a huge neighborhood watch program,” said Wilson. “We know from tragic experience that when a child is kidnapped, every second counts. Once those familiar emergency tones go out over New Mexico airwaves, hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans will hear information that could save a child’s life. It will mobilize the eyes and ears of every person listening to a radio or watching a television. And now, AOL users can even receive AMBER Alerts on their cell phones,” said Wilson of the AMBER Plan’s effectiveness as an added tool for New Mexico law enforcement.
An AMBER Alert uses the same Emergency Alert System (EAS) deployed in severe weather or national emergencies. When a law enforcement agency confirms that a child has been abducted and has clues or descriptions people can look for, it notifies Citadel’s KKOB Radio, designated New Mexico’s primary EAS radio station, which automatically relays the information to all area radio and TV stations and cable systems. Radio stations interrupt their programming with the alert, and TV stations and cable systems run a “crawl” message on the screen (often with a photo of the child). Some AMBER plans also use electronic highway billboards to disseminate the alerts.
Since the establishment of the first AMBER Alert plan in 1996, 32 abducted children nationally have been successfully recovered as a direct result of the prompt response of communities using their AMBER Alert plans.
The AMBER Alert and America Online
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who can receive AOL AMBER Alerts?
You can receive AOL AMBER Alerts if you are an AOL member or if you use AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).
You will only receive AOL AMBER Alerts if you `opt-in,` and you will only receive them for the geographic area you choose.
2. How do I sign up for AOL AMBER Alerts?
On AOL, to sign up for AOL AMBER Alerts:
1. Go to Keyword: AMBER Alert
2. Click "Add an AMBER Alert"
3. Enter your zip code
4. Click "Save"
If you use AOL Instant Messenger, to sign up for AOL AMBER Alerts:
1. Select "My AIM"
2. Scroll down to "Alerts"
3. Select "Manage Web Alerts"
4. Click "Add an Alert"
5. From the Alert Topics, click "News"
6. Click "AMBER Alert"
7. Click "Add an AMBER Alert"
8. Enter your zip code
9. Click "Save"
3. How are AOL AMBER Alerts sent out?
Local law enforcement agencies, like the Albuquerque Police Department and the New Mexico State Police, issue AMBER Alerts, which are sent to broadcast media via the Emergency Alert Service. These agencies will also send the same information to AOL. AOL transmits the AMBER Alerts to you as soon as they receive them.
You can choose to receive AOL AMBER Alerts via your choice of e-mail, IM, or as a text message to your cell phone or pager.
4. Are AOL AMBER Alerts free or do I have to pay for them?
AOL AMBER Alerts are a free service to AOL members and to AIM users. However, your wireless carrier may charge a fee to receive an AOL AMBER Alert via a text message on your wireless device.
5. The information posted at www.missingkids.com indicates there is no established AMBER Alert system in place in my community or state. Why is that?
This means that, at this time, local law enforcement in your community or state does not yet have an AMBER Alert plan in place. Keep checking http://www.missingkids.org/html/amberplan_locations.html to review an up-to-date list of states/localities with these programs.
You can contact your local, state, and federal elected officials and ask them to create an AMBER Alerts plan. If you are an AOL member, you can use AOL`s Government Guide (Keyword: Government Guide) which includes extensive information about contacting your officials.
You may also want to consider looking to the experts for guidance in this area by going to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, (www.missingkids.com) or the Polly Klaas Foundation (www.amberalertnow.org).
Note: The Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Mexico State Police all have established Amber Alert programs. Currently, AOL Amber Alerts are only available through APD. Congresswoman Heather Wilson (NM-01) has asked the other two law enforcement agencies to establish partnerships with America Online.
6. Can I sign up to receive all the AOL AMBER Alerts issued around the country?
When you sign-up for AOL AMBER Alerts, you sign up by zip code.
AOL AMBER Alerts will be issued to everyone who has signed up in the community, state, or region where a child has been declared abducted or kidnapped. The law enforcement agency decides how broadly it wants AMBER Alerts to be distributed.
If you want to receive AOL AMBER Alerts in other areas, you may sign up for multiple zip codes.
7. How will I know if -- and when -- an abducted child has been returned safely?
When a child is safely recovered, local law enforcement typically sends a follow-up AMBER Alert to notify the public that the AMBER Alert is canceled. When AOL receives follow-up AMBER Alerts, they distribute them the same way that they distributed the original Alert - as soon as AOL receives them.
Source: America Online
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