SACRAMENTO,
Calif. –The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is celebrating the lifesaving collaboration
of many partners behind the scenes, including members of the public, who have
helped safely reunite hundreds of abducted children with their families during
20 years of the state’s America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER)
Alert system.
“The
tremendous success of this program would not be possible without the
partnership of law enforcement throughout California, broadcasters, government
agencies at both the state and federal level, and members of the public,” said
CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “When a child or at-risk individual goes
missing, every second counts, and the AMBER Alert program provides a critical
resource for law enforcement and the public.”
In July
2002, state law designated the CHP as the statewide coordinator for California’s AMBER Alert
program. Since the first AMBER Alert activation in August 2002, 376
children or at-risk individuals have been found safe because of the state’s
emergency alert system designed to recover missing children or at-risk
individuals by employing the public’s assistance.
The CHP issues
an AMBER Alert at the request of a law enforcement agency investigating the
abduction of a child or at-risk individual.
For an
AMBER Alert to be issued, the CHP works with local law enforcement to confirm: