Message from the Assistant Attorney General

Beginning a new year, fresh with possibilities, presents us with opportunities to improve upon what we hoped to accomplish in the past and to re-dedicate ourselves to accomplish what is important in our lives and the lives of those we care about. And, when we think of the future, we think again of the safety and care of our children, the greatest national resource.

This past year, at the first ever White House Conference on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children, President Bush directed the Attorney General to designate an AMBER Alert Coordinator. Attorney General Ashcroft announced on October 2, 2002, that the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) would serve as that Coordinator.

As the Assistant Attorney General for OJP, I am pleased to take on the challenge of helping to create a nationwide AMBER Alert system. AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) was created as a legacy to 9 year old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas and then brutally murdered. After this crime, Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children.

In my coordinating capacity, I serve as a nationwide point of contact to assist state and local officials with developing and enhancing AMBER plans, and to promote statewide and regional coordination among plans. To facilitate this effort we are working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and various leaders of AMBER Alert programs throughout the country, to produce a guide introducing and explaining the AMBER Alert system to law enforcement and broadcasters. On December 9, 2002, I chaired a National Amber Alert Meeting, bringing together law enforcement, private sector experts, government officials, and the media to obtain their advice and to discuss how best to implement a nationwide AMBER Alert collaboration. Currently there are 83 AMBER Alert programs across the country–36 operate on the local level, 14 are regional efforts, and 33 are statewide. To date, 42 children have been recovered through the use of these systems.

The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community, in the critical first hours following an abduction, to assist in the safe return of the child and the apprehension of the predator. To activate an Alert, certain criteria must be met, and then alert information is quickly assembled for public distribution. The primary Emergency Alert System (EAS) in the area is alerted, and the EAS in turn transmits the information to the broader community. Collaboration and a speedy EAS response are essential to the success of the plan.

I am committed to taking the lead in this very important work, and I look forward to reporting on the progress of our collective effort. More detailed information about the AMBER Alert Plan can be found on our OJP Web site: What’s New at OJP.

January, 2003