In only four years, the idea of bringing AMBER Alerts into Indian Country has become a reality in many tribal communities. In 2006, the Department of Justice announced the start of the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) initiative and began working with 10 Tribal communities. Since the pilot program began, the initiative has expanded significantly.
More than 1,000 Tribal officials and community members have been trained on the AMBER Alert and comprehensive child recovery plans. AMBER Alert programs are in place or under development in 32 Tribal communities. Child Abduction Response Teams have been launched in 12 Tribal communities. An Indian Country Intelligence Network has been created. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children uses Native American trackers to search for missing children, and Tribes now use donated bloodhounds in searches.
AIIC partners at the 2010 National AMBER Alert Symposium agreed more work needs to be done. AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program Director Phil Keith outlined the next goals for the initiative: expand the AMBER Alert program into new communities; focus on stopping exploitation of Native American children through education, prevention, and investigation; assist training in child protection, family violence, and runaways; and provide more infrastructure.
“It is important to find partners in your communities to become stakeholders in the initiative,” said Jim Walters, AIIC Liaison.
The Department of Justice, through its AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program, will work with tribal leaders to reach those goals. Sharon Sexton, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for Arizona, also suggested tribes contact the U.S. Attorney's Office for resources and training. “Communities have to be proactive and aggressive. The opportunities will not always find the community, sometimes they have to be sought,” said Sexton.
The initiative's long-term goal is to bring AMBER Alert programs to all federally recognized Tribes. A Tribe needs to be willing to meet three criteria to be considered for the Initiative: bring the information to the community, adopt the program to protect children in the community, and share their knowledge with other Tribal communities.