After expanding to every state in the United States, the AMBER Alert Program is becoming a global movement as more countries adopt the child abduction alert plan. The 2009 National AMBER Alert Symposium included international partners from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.
Caroline Humer, the Senior Program Manager for the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, provided a dateline of countries that have initiated AMBER Alert programs: Canada and the United Kingdom in 2003, Queensland, Australia, in 2005, France in 2006, Greece in 2007, the Netherlands in 2008, and Portugal and Baja California, Mexico, in 2009.
Humer said the Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Poland and Switzerland are now developing AMBER Alert plans. Some countries have made changes to the U.S. program including allowing non-government agencies to issue alerts, using different criteria and alerting methods and limiting the amount of information given to the public about the suspect.
Ontario, Canada modified the AMBER Alert criteria to clarify what information is needed before issuing an alert. Ontario law enforcement officers now must “believe” an abduction has taken place rather than being “certain.” The criteria were also relaxed on how much information was needed about the victim, suspect and vehicle.
A representative from INTERPOL suggested creating a “Train the Trainer” program so that they can take the training back to their countries and make their own needed adaptations.
The Southern Border Initiative is still moving forward to expand the AMBER Alert program in Mexico. Cecilia Duquela-Fuentes, Program Manager for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, noted that 381 U.S. children have been recovered in Mexico. “The goal is not to just recover U.S. children,” said Duquela-Fuentes. “The AMBER Alert program can help Mexican officials recover their children as well.”
Law enforcement officials in California and Baja California are now meeting monthly so they can collaborate on child abduction and other cases.