What is AMBER Alert Net?
Who will receive AMBER Alerts through AMBER Alert Net?
Why is Webroot Software providing AMBER Alert Net as a public service?
Who can get AMBER Alert Net?
When will AMBER Alert Net be available in my area?
What is the AMBER Plan?
When and why was the AMBER Plan created?
How does the AMBER Plan work today?
Is the AMBER Plan successful?
What is AMBER Alert Net?
AMBER Alert Net is a small application that distributes AMBER
Alert information online, allowing this information to reach any computer system
that is connected to the Internet regardless of ISP, operating system, email system,
etc. AMBER Alert Net is free, and is a public service of Webroot with no subscription
fee or product purchase attached to the application. Information contained in AMBER
Alert Net will contain official "AMBER Alert" text as it is issued by law enforcement
and will be updated accordingly. Essentially, AMBER Alert Net will serve to extend the
reach of traditional media into the online environment.
Who will receive AMBER Alerts through AMBER Alert Net?
AMBER Alert Net is strictly opt-in, as users will have to actively
download the application. During the registration process, users have the option to
choose which state alerts they wish to receive. For the purposes of the Colorado
introduction, users will only have the option of receiving alerts issued by the state
of Colorado.
Why is Webroot Software providing AMBER Alert Net as a public service?
A portion of Webroot Software's business is dedicated to protecting
children in an online environment. Current awareness of the plight of missing and exploited
children coupled with the increasingly active role the Internet plays in our daily lives
gives us another opportunity to help promote the safety of children. Webroot Software believes
that through the Internet, we have the opportunity to play a vital role in helping to disseminate
timely information to a large portion of the population who might not receive it otherwise.
Who can get AMBER Alert Net?
Anyone with a connection to the Internet can sign up to voluntarily
receive AMBER Alert notices. The AMBER Alert Net system has been specifically designed to
work with all Internet service providers, without or without a firewall (vital for users
in a corporate environment), on any speed connection, and any operating system. The goal
of AMBER Alert Net is to extend the reach of the current AMBER Alert programs to all
Internet-connected users with the hopes of finding abducted children. Users can register
to receive alerts in any of the states, counties and cities that participate. Travelers
and people near state borders can receive alerts for multiple states.
When will AMBER Alert Net be available in my area?
Webroot Software, Inc. is proud to bring this free public service to
our home state of Colorado. At this time, we are working with law enforcement and government
agencies to bring this service to users nationwide. For more information on when this service
will be available in your area, please contact us at amberalertnet@webroot.com.
What is the AMBER Plan?
The AMBER Plan is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies
and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.
Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the
Emergency Broadcast System, to air a description of the abducted child and suspected abductor.
This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies. The goal
of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search
for and safe return of the child.
When and why was the AMBER Plan created?
The AMBER Plan was created in 1996 as a powerful legacy to 9-year-old
Amber Hagerman, a bright little girl who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding
her bicycle in Arlington, Texas.
The tragedy shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents contacted
radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they broadcast special "alerts" over the
airwaves so that they could help prevent such incidents in the future.
In response to the community's concern for the safety of local children, the
Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law-enforcement agencies in
northern Texas and developed this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children.
Statistics show that, when abducted, a child's greatest enemy is time.
How does the AMBER Plan work today?
Once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child, they must
first determine if the case meets the AMBER Plan's criteria for triggering an alert.
Each program establishes its own AMBER Plan criteria; however, the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children suggests three criteria that
should be met before an Alert is activated.
- law enforcement confirms a child has been abducted
- law enforcement believes the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death
- there is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help.
If these criteria are met, alert information must be put together for
public distribution. This information can include descriptions and pictures of the missing
child, the suspected abductor, a suspected vehicle, and any other information available and
valuable to identifying the child and suspect.
The information is then faxed to radio stations designated as primary
stations under the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
The primary stations send the same information to area radio and television
stations and cable systems via the EAS, and it is immediately broadcast by participating stations
to millions of viewers and listeners.
Radio stations interrupt programming to announce the Alert, and television
stations and cable systems run a "crawl" on the screen along with a picture of the child. Some
states are also incorporating electronic highway billboards in their Plans. The billboards,
typically used to disseminate traffic information to drivers, now alert the public of abducted
children, displaying pertinent information about the child, abductor or suspected vehicle that
drivers might look for on highways.
Is the AMBER Plan successful?
Tremendously! The program's popularity has been sweeping across the United
States and into Canada. Since the original AMBER Plan was established, 70 modified versions
have been adopted at local, regional, and statewide levels. 26 states have a statewide plan.
To date the AMBER Plan has been credited with recovering 34 children!
|
