Amber Alert

The Amber Alert Plan was created in 1996 in memory of 9 year old Amber Hagerman, a little girl who was kidnapped and brutallly murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas.  The horrific incident shocked and outraged the entire community, and in response, residents began to contact radio stations in the Dallas area suggesting that they broadcast special "alerts" over the airwaves so that they can prevent such tragedies in the future.

In response to the requests, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with the local law-enforcement agencies in northern Texas and developed this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children.

In April of 2003, President George W. Bush sigend the Amber Alert legislation making it a national program.

The CodeAmber ticker is updated immediately upon receipt of an Amber Alert from law enforcement agencies anywhere in the world. The information on the ticker includes the location of the abduction and the contact information for the reporting authority as well as links (if available) to images of the abductee, suspect composites, and any other details provided by the reporting authority.

"AMBER Alert is a proven success and has helped rescue more than 230 children nationwide. More than 85 percent of those recoveries have occurred since AMBER Alert became a nationally coordinated effort in 2002. With 50 statewide AMBER plans now in place, we are meeting President Bush's goal of a National AMBER Alert network. As the new National AMBER Alert Coordinator, I am committed to ensuring that we have a strong and seamless network in place to protect our children."

--Regina B. Schofield,
Assistant Attorney General
Office of Justice Programs