AMBER Advocate Magazine

Issue 25

This issue profiles Phil Keith as he retires after a decade leading the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program. Tasked with standardizing the program across all U.S. states and territories within two years, Keith and his team achieve the goal in just 18 months. Under his leadership, the program introduces key innovations such as the Child Abduction Response Team (CART), the Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA), the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Initiative, and the Southern Border Initiative. Jim Walters, a longtime contributor to the program, steps in as Keith’s successor. A front-line story from Quebec, Canada, recounts the successful rescue of a newborn baby abducted from a hospital by a woman posing as a nurse; the alert spreads via social media, and four friends who see it on Facebook identify the suspect and her car, leading to the baby’s recovery within 50 minutes. The issue also features Hedi Bogda, a tribal prosecutor and judge now leading AMBER Alert training in Indian Country, who emphasizes the strength of community collaboration in protecting children. Another international story highlights Canadian National AMBER Alert Coordinator Nancy Martin and Sergeant Jane Boissonneault’s efforts to unify provincial alert systems and share new tools. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office reports 105 children recovered through its Alerta AMBER system and hosts a forum to train participants on best practices, including social media use. Two new CARTs—the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (MetroLEC) in Massachusetts and the Tacoma Police Department in Washington—receive national certification from the U.S. Department of Justice. More than 18,700 law enforcement officers and dispatchers complete web-based training courses through the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program.

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