I do not have any information on the subject, but I wonder in what way Amber Alerts are disseminated so quickly.
The reported kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl in Independence got me thinking about this. It was quickly on all the TV stations in Oklahoma (not just Tulsa) and I assume on the overhead road message signs, too. Probably the same thing is true in Kansas.
Surely there must be some form of authentication and then rapid transmission to various police agencies, the media, and the state DOTs.
Wes Leatherock snipped-for-privacy@aol.com
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: All these things are true. In the case of Kelsey Stelting, the sixteen year old girl here in Independence Tuesday morning, when I woke up at 7:30 AM it was already running as a 'ticker ribbon message' on KOAM (Cable channel 2) out of Tulsa. The 'local use' cable channels here, channel 10 (municipal) and channel 14 (Independence High School) were completely consumed with it. Apparently she was kidnapped between 6:15 and 6:30 AM in front of her parent's house at 5th and Pine Street. We are told she was grabbed at gun point during her morning jogging session. All the details are not totally clear to me, except that she was instructed by the kidnapper to "run in the direction of a lumber yard five blocks away at Penn and Pecan Streets and get into a 'white van' driven by a confederate of the kidnapper." Apparently she was able to sneak in a call on her own cell phone to (a) police and (b) her mother at home and in a short conversation (before being caught using the cell phone) tell them what was happening to her. According to later news reports, the cell phone was rudely taken away from her when she was caught using it.Accord> The AMBER Alert Plan, named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, is a
voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters,
> and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most
> serious child-abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert
> System (EAS) to air a description of the abducted child and suspected
> abductor. This is the same concept used during severe weather
> emergencies. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the
> entire community to assist > Frequently Asked Questions
> Why was the AMBER Plan created?
> The AMBER Plan was created in 1997 as a powerful legacy to
> 9-year-old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped and brutally murdered
> while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas.
> The tragedy shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents
> contacted radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they
> broadcast special "alerts" over the airwaves so they could help
> prevent such incidents in the future.
> The next year local law enforcement and broadcasters created the
> AMBER Plan in Amber Hagerman's honor. The AMBER Plan, also known as
> America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response Plan, is a program
> in which broadcasters and transportation authorities immediately
> distribute information about recent child abductions to the public,
> enabling the entire community to assist in the search for and safe
> recovery of the child.
> What began as a local effort in Dallas, Texas, has grown into a
> seamless system of AMBER Alert programs across the country, each
> year saving the lives of abducted children.
> How do AMBER Alerts work?
> Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must
> first determine if the case meets the recommended criteria from the U.S.
> Department of Justice for activating an alert. Guidance on Criteria for
> Issuing AMBER Alerts (PDF)
> a.. There is reasonable belief by law enforcement an abduction has > occurred
> b.. The abduction is of a child age 17 years or younger
> c.. The law-enforcement agency believes the child is in imminent
> danger of serious bodily injury or death
> d.. There is enough descriptive information about the victim and abduction
> for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the > child
> e.. The child's name and other critical data elements, including the
> Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime
> Information Center (NCIC) computer
> If these criteria are met, alert information must be put together
> for public distribution. This information may include descriptions
> and pictures of the missing child, the suspected abductor, and a
> suspected vehicle along with any other information available and
> valuable to identifying the child and suspect.
> The information is then faxed to radio stations designated as
> primary stations under the EAS. The primary stations send the same
> information to area radio and television stations and cable systems
> via the EAS, and participating stations immediately broadcast the
> information to millions of listeners. Radio stations interrupt
> programming to announce the Alert, and television stations and cable
> systems run a "crawl" on the screen along with a picture of the
> child.
> Some states are also incorporating electronic highway billboards in their
> AMBER Plans. The billboards, typically used to disseminate traffic
> information to drivers, now alert the public of abducted children by
> displaying pertinent information about the child, abductor, or suspected
> vehicle that drivers might look for on highways.
> What should I do when an AMBER Alert is issued? The AMBER Alert
> message encourages the public to look for the missing child or
> suspect. You become the eyes and ears of local law enforcement.
> In the event you spot a child, adult, or vehicle fitting the AMBER Alert
> description, immediately call the telephone number given in the AMBER Alert
> and provide authorities with as much information as you know.
==================
I do know that by about 9 AM here, the high school and middle school had discussed it with their students, and notices were appearing in store windows. Ditto with the case about two years ago here where the small child went with an unauthorized adult in a car after school. Five minutes after it happened, when school authorities noticed the child missing, police were searching. I think they take it rather seriously around here at least. PAT]