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| Wilson Backs Plan to Provide Resources for Amber Alert Program |
February 05, 2003 |
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Bill Provides Funding for Local Authorities to Search for Missing Children
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Heather Wilson joined today with colleagues in the House, representatives from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Ed Smart, father of missing Utah girl Elizabeth Smart, to announce that she is supporting a plan to give communities across America the resources they need to set up the Amber Alert system. This legislation provides state and local entities grants through the Departments of Justice and Transportation for highway signage, education and training programs, and equipment to facilitate Amber Alert systems.
“We know from tragic experience that when a child is kidnapped, every second counts. Once those familiar emergency tones go out over the airwaves, hundreds of thousands of people hear information that could save a child’s life,” said Wilson. “Thanks to the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and others, there are now 84 Amber Plans across the country and 44 children have been recovered. Still, the vast majority of America’s communities have not established an Amber Plan and this bill will give them the resources to do so.”
The plan - called "Amber Alert" in remembrance of murdered Texas child Amber Hagerman - allows authorities to issue broadcast alerts through the “Emergency Alert System” in cases where a child is abducted by a stranger and believed to be in immediate danger. When police believe that a child has been abducted by a stranger, they will notify the local station designated to activate the federal Emergency Alert System, which will in turn issue Amber Alerts to all other participating media outlets.
Wilson worked to implement a functioning and effective Amber Plan in New Mexico and passed a House Resolution in 2000 urging communities around the country to implement the Amber Alert plan.
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