This report by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) with support from the Department of Justice provides an analysis of AMBER Alert Activations in 2022.
This report by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) provides an analysis of AMBER Alert Activations in 2022. America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Plan provides a framework for law enforcement to broadcast information about child abductions to the public. From the initial program launch in 1996 through 2022, at least 1,133 children have been safely recovered due to an AMBER Alert. AMBER Alerts rely on a voluntary partnership among law enforcement, broadcasters, private companies, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and technology partners to notify the public of an abduction. AMBER Alert plans initiate the alert by activating their state and local network. Since 2005, NCMEC has provided access to AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution (AASD). NCMEC provides geographically targeted information via the NCMEC Call Center to these partners as approved by each AMBER Alert coordinator. Since 2012, both AMBER Alert plans and NCMEC can use Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to provide geographically targeted cellular broadcasts to the public when a child is abducted. On April 30, 2003, the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003 was signed into law, establishing the national coordination of state and local programs, including the development of guidance for issuance and dissemination of AMBER Alerts and the appointment of a national AMBER Alert coordinator within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. The national AMBER Alert coordinator, in collaboration with a national advisory group, developed a strategy for supporting states and communities to strengthen the AMBER Alert system nationwide and increase the likelihood abducted children will be recovered swiftly and safely. In 2018, the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act expanded resources and focused on integrating tribal AMBER Alert systems with state and regional systems.