AMBER Alert in Action

Mexican authorities had baby Angela in their caring hands 30 hours after the first Alerta Amber was activated.

Front Lines: It Takes a Village

After her parents were murdered, a missing infant is found safe thanks to Mexico’s media, the public, and AMBER Alert Coordinators—who acted during a conference on protecting children with U.S. DOJ and AATTAP leaders in Monterrey

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On the Front Lines: A Textbook Case

Swift action to locate a missing New York college student, who was found unharmed in Mexico, proves the importance of connections and collaboration—even when it crosses the U.S.

Rescued toddler, JJ Rowland, in the arms of volunteer searcher Roy Link, Brooksville, Florida.

On the Front Lines: Out of the Woods

A Florida toddler is found safe 24 hours after getting lost in a thicket ‘where not many adults would want to be overnight.’ Hundreds of law enforcement officers and community volunteers, aided by a novel app, joined the search.

‘Brave, Resourceful and Dedicated’

  Tony Godwin, an Instructional Associate with the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) and veteran detective with the Garland Police Department—is one of seven North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force members who were honored with the Attorney General’s Special Commendation Award during the 40th annual National Missing Children’s Day […]

On the Front Lines: Danger at Play

The virtual reality world of social gaming got very real for a Utah teen abducted from home by a fellow gamer—an accused sexual predator from Arizona. The boy was found safe, nearly 800 miles from home, thanks to a good Samaritan.

On the Front Lines: Social Media SOS

The social media post simply read, “Help.” But it would transform a report of two runaway teens into a trafficking case requiring an AMBER Alert and intense search for the 14-year-olds.

Driven to Succeed

The most effective Child Abduction Response Teams (CARTs) have “the right personnel, preparation, and leadership support,” says Sergeant Patrick Beumler, who supervises the Glendale, Arizona, Police Department’s Patrol and Emergency Response Units. …

Navajo Nation Police Department

AMBER Alert in Indian Country Technology Toolkits on the Move

When a child goes missing, law enforcement response time is critical. So is having the right tools. An endeavor to donate nearly every technological resource necessary for responding to missing and abducted children cases – a rugged laptop, digital camera, scanner, and more – is now underway thanks to the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) initiative, a component of the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018.

On the Front Lines: Road to Recovery

The ordeal of 11-year-old Gabriel Daugherty – known for a bright smile, spirited T shirts, and smart black glasses – had begun 12 days earlier in LaGrange. On Thursday, April 28, Gabriel’s non-custodial father, Addam Daugherty, picked up his son for a pre-approved trip to Six Flags near Atlanta, about an hour’s drive north. The plan was for Gabriel to return home Sunday, May 1.

AMBER Alert on the Front Lines: A Multi-State Success Story

It began as an ordinary situation that progressively got worse. The case of missing 3-year-old Noah Clare started on November 7, 2021, after his non-custodial father didn’t bring him back to his home in Gallatin, Tennessee.

The next day, Noah’s mother, Amanda Ennis, contacted the Gallatin police to get an emergency motion to suspend parenting time and a temporary restraining order against Noah’s father, Jacob Clare. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) issued an Endangered Child Alert for Noah Clare and a 16-year-old cousin accompanying him.

2022 Symposium In Review

By Denise Gee Peacock At the close of the 2022 AMBER Alert and AMBER Alert in Indian Country Virtual Symposium March 29-30, family survivor Amy Bloxom shared two unsettling details – ones that no doubt strengthened participants’ resolves to keep people from ever enduring what Amy’s family has. The day of her talk, March 30, […]

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1st & Goals:

By Paul Murphy Janell Rasmussen spent more than 20 years working in public safety, developing, implementing, and operating multiple statewide law enforcement programs. In March 2021, she became the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) Administrator, following Jim Walters’ retirement. Early Life and Career Rasmussen grew up in Mapleton, a small town in […]

Growth Sector: Navajo Nation

Yes WEA Can
With the Navajo Nation’s COVID-19 emergency response in high gear, tech leader Christopher Becenti is closing ‘the digital divide’ to make life safer in his community

CART: Early Preparation Is Essential for Successful Child Recoveries

Hear from AATTAP’s CART Program Coordinator, Derek VanLuchene as he is featured in this great overview of and update on CART, which is now evolving and strengthening nationwide! Derek was recently interviewed for OJJDP’s ‘At a Glance’ publication, and offered great insights into AATTAP’s vision for CART and information on the program. “We work hard […]

AMBER Alert on the Front Lines: Washington

Two semi-trucks are now rolling down Washington roadways with images and information about a four-year-old girl who disappeared nearly two decades ago. The Washington State Patrol’s Missing and Unidentified Missing Persons Unit teamed up with Kam-Way Transportation to place age-progressed photos of Sofia Juarez on two of its trucks. The trucks are part of the […]

AMBER Alert on the Front Lines: Missouri

Three men burst into a St. Joseph, Missouri, home and took a two-year-old girl at gunpoint and then fled with the child. Police say the non-custodial father had a physical confrontation with the mother before leaving. The alleged abduction took place on March 15, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. Authorities received the call about the kidnapping […]

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2021 National Missing Children’s Day

Missing Children’s Day is celebrated in the U.S. and around the globe. Annual remembrance reminds everyone to join the fight to bring missing and abducted children home.

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AMBER Alert on the Front Lines: Minnesota

The premise of the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” is that cars can be stolen in a minute or less. Unfortunately, that short time frame was the real-life situation after a mother left her one-year-old son in the back of her vehicle to grab something from their Minneapolis, Minnesota, home before leaving. At 12:21 p.m. […]

Image of US Department of Justice web page recognizing the 2021 National Missing Children's Day Awardees

Commemorating the 38th National Missing Children’s Day

May 25, 2021: As we come together today as a Nation to commemorate the 38th National Missing Children’s Day, we do so virtually, which we have become accustomed to over the last year. While the world has adapted to social distancing, working from home and communicating virtually, our front-line workers have continued to work diligently […]

Breesha Spratley is reunited with her daughter, Amila Spratley-Apke

AMBER Alert on the Front Lines: Utah

It took only moments for ten-month-old Amila Spratley-Apkey to vanish. Amila’s mother Breesha Spratley left her car running in the driveway with her daughter in the backseat in Ogden, Utah, at 10:45 a.m. on November 4, 2020. The mother ran into her home to use the bathroom and her friend who was in the car […]

Meeting the Training Challenges of 2020 and Beyond

As we start the new year it is important for us to look back at 2020 and some of the lessons we learned on how to continue the critical mission of recovering the endangered missing and abducted child, despite the obstacles thrown at us by man or nature. As our partners at the National Center […]

A large painted mural adorns a memorial for Amber Hagerman, the little girl who was abducted on her bike and later found dead in Arlington, Texas in 1996.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

25 years after the abduction of Amber Hagerman, hope and hard work continue

From the Dallas Morning News: “For the first time, police said they have DNA evidence that someday — with new technology that has solved other high-profile cold cases — could be the key to finding her killer.” A hallmark of surviving families is their strength and resilience in keeping hope – active and intentional – […]

California Highway Patrol

California AMBER Alert 2.0

In October 2018, California AMBER Alert Co-Coordinator Ed Bertola recognized the California Highway Patrol (CHP) was in a bind. He had been working for months to improve the state’s AMBER Alert plan, but he did not have everything up as anticipated, and the changes the CHP had made had not been tested. However, when California saw three AMBER Alerts within 24 hours; a decision had to be made to go forward with what was in place.

1000th AMBER Alert Recovery

An Enduring Legacy for Amber: 1,000 Success Stories (from missingkids.org)

The original post can be found at https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2020/1000-success-stories   For more on Amber’s case, read about continued hard work and hope on the 25th anniversary of her abduction. By Patricia Davis 07-23-2020 A home movie was being shown on the evening news, and Diana Simone stopped what she was doing to watch, curious why they […]

OJJDP Releases 2019 Annual Report

OJJDP has released its 2019 Annual Report to Congress. The report describes OJJDP’s programs and activities during fiscal year (FY) 2019. Find information on the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) and AMBER Alert in Indian Country Program (AIIC) beginning on page 14. OJJDP awarded more than $323 million in FY 2019 to […]

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Wisconsin Task Force Director and Special Agent Honored with the U.S. Attorney General’s Special Commendation

As part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s 37th annual commemoration of National Missing Children’s Day, the Attorney General’s Special Commendation award was presented to Criminal Investigation Director Matthew Joy, Commander of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Special Agent in Charge Jesse Crowe, Supervisor of […]

Screen shot of video feature for the 32nd annual candlelight vigil, national police week 2020

Recognizing Service and Protection for Tribal Communities: 2020 National Police Week

During this 2020 National Police Week, we wish to thank each of you for your service and sacrifice on behalf of the tribal communities across the United States. During these unprecedented times you have stayed strong, placing yourselves on the front lines, facing the dangers of the corona virus while protecting our children and our […]

Recognizing the Importance of the Proclamation

With the signing of a proclamation declaring May 5th as Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day, President Trump has taken a step forward in our nation’s efforts to raise awareness and protect Native American and Alaskan Native communities. Before we can make any real progress, we as a nation must first […]

President Trump signs proclamation in the oval office with Native American representatives present

President Proclaims Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day 2020

As shared from WhiteHouse.gov’s Law and Justice Proclamation on May 5, 2020: The American Indian and Alaska Native people have endured generations of injustice.  They experience domestic violence, homicide, sexual assault, and abuse far more frequently than other groups.  These horrific acts, committed predominantly against women and girls, are egregious and unconscionable.  During Missing and […]

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Forthcoming USDOJ update to NISMART will gather
law enforcement data on abductions

The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) will soon begin outreach to more than 4000 law enforcement agencies for assistance in updating and expanding data and analysis on stranger abductions of children. This effort – the Law Enforcement Survey of Stereotypical Kidnapping – will update the last systematic count which took place in 2011. It […]

Lindsey Wade

AMBER Alert Training Instructor Cited in Recent Forensic Geneology Article

Senior Investigator/Analyst, Lindsey Wade of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office “A detective sits down at her desk and fires up her computer. After taking a gulp of her morning coffee, she glances over at the faded photograph with dog-eared corners pinned to the wall of her cubicle—a daily reminder that this victim is still […]

Family Roundtable: Giving Survivors a Voice

Family roundtable meetings have occurred for more than 15 years with the specific purpose of providing a venue for communication and collaboration between victims, surviving family members and law enforcement.

pam foster

I Had to Become a Warrior Mom

Warrior Mom: Mother of murdered Navajo girl challenges tribal, federal, state and local leaders to be vigilant at 2019 AMBER Alert in Indian County Symposium

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Unwelcome Alliance

Unwelcome Alliance: The tragic ties between abducted children and child sex trafficking are the focus of 2019 National AMBER Alert Symposium

Online Predators

Rethinking Runaways and Missing Children

For five days in February 2018, Washington state detectives posed as underage boys and girls online and received more than 100 responses from persons soliciting sexual activity with them.

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Learning from an AMBER Alert

What can you learn from an abducted child’s family after an AMBER Alert? Northeast Ohio’s AMBER Alert program aims to find out.

Training the First Responders

How the Telecommunications Best Practices for Missing and Abducted Children course (TELMAC) promotes readiness from the first report of an endangered, missing, or abducted child.

Ashlynne’s Law AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018

With the passage of this important legislation, the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program is hard at work moving the law into action. A law born out of the tragic abduction and murder of eleven-year-old Ashlynne Mike of the Navajo Nation endeavors to bring increased law enforcement coordination, new and expanded resources, and renewed […]

2018 National Missing Children’s Day

Awards presented in the US Department of Justice Great Hall Missing Children’s Day is recognized annually in Washington D.C., as well as states across the nation and countries around the globe. The U.S. Department of Justice held its 2018 awards ceremony on May 23, 2018, in the Great Hall, with event coordination by the Office […]

2018 National AMBER Alert Symposium

The 2018 National AMBER Alert Symposium, held in Orlando, Florida, May 15-17, 2018, was attended by more than 100 partners including AMBER Alert Coordinators, Missing Persons Clearinghouse Managers, Child Abduction Response Team (CART) Coordinators and other child protection officials. More than 40 states, federally recognized tribes, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico were represented at this […]

2018 Family Roundtable Participants gathered for an outdoor group photo.

2018 Family Roundtable Event

On June 21-22, 2018, the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) hosted the 2018 Family roundtable on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Plano, Texas.  This year’s panel was made up of 13 family members of missing and abducted children from across the country.  […]

The Future of Child Protection

AMBER ALERT TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR SHARES VISION FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN Jim Walters has accomplished a lot since becoming AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) Administrator in July 2014. Nearly 40 years in law enforcement and the military has helped prepare him for the critical task at hand, and he is […]

HOUSE PASSES McCAIN-HEITKAMP BILL TO EXPAND AMBER ALERT SYSTEM ON NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS

The following press release was originally posted on: https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D8F87771-66A8-47F5-9F83-E598051004BE Washington, D.C. ­– Last night, the House of Representatives passed the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act, legislation introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) in the Senate that would expand the AMBER Alert child abduction warning system on Native American reservations. Specifically, the legislation would clarify […]

New Service Dog Named for Long Time Child Protection Veteran Ron Laney

This article originally appeared at http://semperk9.org/dogs/laney/ Semper K9 is proud to announce the acceptance of service dog in training Laney into our Service Dogs for Veterans program. Laney is named in honor of USMC Vietnam Veteran Ron Laney and comes to us from our rescue partner Operation Paws for Homes. Ron “Papa Six” Laney was the Associate […]

Kathleen Piccione (Chippewa)

Never Forgotten

“Never Forgotten” by Kathleen Piccione (Chippewa) Over the holidays I received a package in the mail which contained a framed print of a Native American child.  When I looked closely I saw that the print was signed by the artist and included the inscription; “Never Forgotten, In Memory of Ashlynne”.  While the artwork itself is […]

Brazos Valley CART Exercise

CART Exercise in Brazos Valley Unites 26 Agencies

Content courtesy: Amber Alert Network Brazos Valley | www.aanbv.org On Tuesday December 5, 2017 Officers with the Navasota Police Department responded to a report of an abducted child as part of a planned field exercise in conjunction with the Brazos Valley Child Abduction Response Team (BVCART). Throughout the day over 70 responders from 26 different […]

AMBER Alert Training Highlights – Fall 2017

Just a month before Hurricanes Maria and Irma brought massive devastation in Puerto Rico, law enforcement officers in the U.S. territory had fortunately received training on how to find missing and abducted children. The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program’s event held August 23-24, 2017, had more than 450 participants representing all 13 regions […]

Justice for Ashlynne

NATIVE AMERICAN GIRL’S DEATH MAY SAVE COUNTLESS LIVES All eleven-year-old Ashlynne Mike and her nine-year-old brother Ian did was accept a ride home from their school’s bus stop in Lower Fruitlands, Arizona. When it was over, Ashlynne had been raped and murdered and her brother Ian was left wandering in the desert. On October 27, […]

2017 AMBER Alert symposium recap

2017 AMBER Alert Symposium

PATTY WETTERLING CHALLENGES AMBER ALERT PARTNERS TO NEVER GIVE UP HOPE Patty Wetterling fought back tears while describing how she learned her son’s body had been found after nearly three decades of searching and hoping he was still alive. On October 22, 1989, her eleven-year old son Jacob was riding his bike when he was […]

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Why an AMBER Alert May Never Be Issued

A yearlong study on sex trafficking in Las Vegas found the majority of victims were teenagers under the threat of violence from their perpetrators—and more than half of all underage victims were never reported missing. The results of the study have broad implications for the AMBER Alert program because law enforcement and others may never […]

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“She Was a Sweet Girl and Did Not Deserve to Die”

Casey Jo Pipestem was raised in Oklahoma City as a member of the Seminole Tribe. Casey’s grandmother raised her until she passed away when Casey was just 7 years old. She then lived with other relatives, but found it difficult to fit in while living in rural communities. Casey dropped out of high school, moved […]

Cindy McCain

2016 TRIBAL SYMPOSIUM

The Tribal Child Protection Leadership Forum and Symposium began with a traditional Native American blessing that included the words, “Oh child where are you?” The events took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, July 19-21, 2016, and included representatives from more than 25 tribes who shared lessons learned and experiences with AMBER Alert Coordinators, Missing Persons Clearinghouse […]