How does the AMBER Alert Plan work?
By design, law enforcement initiates the primary emergency AMBER notification, defines the geographic boundaries of the alert notification, and has the legal jurisdiction—through the child’s entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)—to act upon the information contained in an AMBER Alert. The NCMEC has established a nationwide clearinghouse for AMBER Alerts and when verified will send the alert to Sprint’s vendor, Syniverse Technologies. Syniverse identifies the Sprint customers who have requested to receive AMBER Alerts in the geographic area designated by local law enforcement and sends the alert as a text message to these subscribers.
Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must first determine if the case meets the AMBER Alert Plan’s criteria for triggering an alert. Recognizing the importance of local determination of AMBER Alert criteria, while acknowledging the importance of consistency across the country to help ensure a smooth AMBER Alert system, the U.S. Department of Justice recommends the criteria listed below for AMBER Alert programs nationwide. There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred The abduction is of a child age 17 years or younger The law-enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center
Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must first determine if the case meets the AMBER Alert Plan’s criteria for triggering an alert. Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts (PDF) Recognizing the importance of local determination of AMBER Alert criteria, while acknowledging the importance of consistency across the country to help ensure a smooth AMBER Alert system, the U.S. Department of Justice recommends the criteria listed below for AMBER Alert programs nationwide. • There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred • The abduction is of a child age 17 years or younger • The law-enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death • There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child • The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag,
By design, law enforcement initiates the primary emergency AMBER notification, defines the geographic boundaries of the alert notification, and has the legal jurisdiction—through the child’s entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)—to act upon the information contained in an AMBER Alert.
