The Leavenworth, Kansas, Police Department did not have much time for second guessing after receiving reports that an ex-boyfriend, who witnesses said had made threatening statements earlier in the day, grabbed a 16-year-old girl and forced her into a car.
According to witnesses, the 17-year-old suspect took off with the girl after fighting with her current boyfriend. They also said the suspect had been spotted with a handgun and threatening people earlier in the day.
On July 5, 2012, the police department filled out the AMBER Alert request form on the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System Portal and contacted the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for approval.
“Once we determine the AMBER Alert criteria have been met, the law enforcement coordinator starts the process to issue the alert,” said Kansas AMBER Alert Coordinator Derek Welsh. The alert was issued at 2:55 p.m.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation contacted the state's Emergency Alert System provider, a Topeka radio station, so the alert could be recorded and forwarded to all broadcasters. TV and radio stations aired the alert every 15 minutes the first hour, every 30 minutes the second hour, and once every hour until the next scheduled newscast.
The AMBER Alert was posted on highway signs, business signs, and digital billboards. The alert was sent out via e-mail, text message, and posted on the Kansas AMBER Alert website, which is updated every 15 minutes, and showed up as a banner on other state government websites. “As soon as we were called, our wheels were put into motion, and things happened smoothly,” said Welsh.
Around 8:00 p.m., a citizen in Brown County, Kansas, spotted the 1996 Toyota Camry matching the description of the car shown on the AMBER Alert. Brown County authorities pulled the car over and discovered the victim was not very happy she had been found. “She was mad an AMBER Alert was issued and said, ‘I am not missing,’” said Welsh.
AMBER Alert coordinators from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation met with Leavenworth police detectives for an after-action review of the alert. Everyone involved agreed that the decision to issue the alert was correct. “Based on the information we had at the time, we made the right decision,” said Welsh. “She was located because the AMBER Alert was sent out to the public.”
Welsh said the alert also provided an opportunity to see how the overall AMBER Alert program was working, especially since the state had not issued an alert in nearly two years. He learned the tip line worked well even though the usual phone bank area was under construction. However, he is now looking at ways to speed up the alerts going out through secondary distribution.
“The AMBER Alert worked, but there is always room for improvement,” said Welsh. “We always find things we can do better.”