WIRELESS AMBER ALERT OVERVIEW
Purpose of the Wireless AMBER Alert program
Many young children in the United States are reported missing and abducted. With increased worries and concerns, the need for a response, search, and rescue system is at an all time high.The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 797,500 children were reported missing in a one year period of time. This issue has become a national problem. Government agencies, local and federal law enforcement, and wireless technology will work together to aid in the safe return of missing or abducted children.
To help prevent missing and abducted children, President Bush and the Department of Justice have coordinated a program to solve this national problem by establishing the national AMBER Alert program in 2003. The AMBER Alert program will soon become one of the nation’s most important programs.
This program allows anyone capable of receiving text messages and whose wireless carrier is a participant in the program can receive Wireless AMBER Alerts. Wireless AMBER Alerts are text messages that are sent out to subscribers as soon as law enforcement releases an AMBER Alert. Since this issue has become a national problem, everyone is offering a helping hand.
The wireless industry is aiding and taking the AMBER Alert program to higher grounds by joining with law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for a solution. ALLTEL, AT&T, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless are just some of the wireless telecommunication companies that support the Wireless AMBER Alerts program.
With the joint efforts of everyone, the Wireless AMBER Alert program will increase the chances of locating and returning missing and abducted children around the world.