Jessica Davenport always wanted a job where she could make a real difference. Her goal was realized when she was asked to be the Florida AMBER Alert coordinator two years ago.
She already had worked for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for three years, and she jumped at the chance to develop policies for the AMBER Alert program.
“I was really interested in missing child issues and what happens to a child after he or she is abducted,” said Davenport. “We need to identify those needs and have policies in place to help protect children.”
During the past two years, she has worked on ways to streamline the process to issue an AMBER Alert. Florida sends the alerts to law enforcement, media, Emergency Alert System, highway signs, 511 Traffic Information Line, Highway Advisory Radio, social media, lottery machines, and through e-mails to people who register to receive them.
“We are always looking for new ways to put out AMBER Alerts,” said Davenport. “We also found a way to send alerts when we are at home so we can get the AMBER Alert out faster.”
Florida issued seven AMBER Alerts during her first year on the job in 2011. The state issued nine alerts last year, and so far, the state has issued only one in 2013.
Davenport said one memorable alert involved a suspect who met a woman on Facebook and then abducted her baby. “We didn't know the suspect's name, so we contacted Facebook and got enough information to identify the woman and find the child,” said Davenport. “Our program is very successful. We have recovered a lot of children from AMBER Alerts.”
She offers this advice to new AMBER Alert coordinators: “I think it is important to understand how your AMBER Alert process works, but do not be afraid to make changes and try new ways to make the process more effective.”
Davenport is the oldest of six children in her family and said this has helped her have empathy for parents of abducted children. “I know the feeling of how terrifying it would be to lose a child,” she said. “I keep this in mind all the time.”
When she is not working, Davenport is actively involved in politics and community issues. However, she says the AMBER Alert program has given her a chance to see real results from her efforts. “It is nice to have an impact,” she said. “I think a lot of us who work for criminal justice are looking to make a difference. The AMBER Alert is one way you can really see you are making an impact.”
Davenport has been the Florida AMBER Alert Coordinator for the past two years, and Peter Warren became the state's new AMBER Alert Coordinator in March 2013. He is also looking to use new technology to streamline the AMBER Alert process.