AMBER Advocate Magazine

Issue 05

The 2007 National AMBER Alert Conference in Denver features abduction survivor Elizabeth Smart, who shares her story of survival and emphasizes the importance of community preparedness through the AMBER Alert program. On January 13, 2008, communities across the country commemorate National AMBER Alert Awareness Day with a variety of activities, including the national certification of North Florida’s Child Abduction Response Team (CART), fundraisers in Minnesota, and poster contests in several states. A front-line story from Florida recounts the abduction of a 15-year-old girl by a 46-year-old registered sex offender she meets online; an AMBER Alert is issued, and authorities believe it prompts the predator to release the girl, who is found safe 400 miles from her home. A profile on Janell Rasmussen, Minnesota’s AMBER Alert Coordinator, highlights her leadership in developing a seven-state alert plan and a two-tiered system that includes alerts for cases that don’t meet strict AMBER criteria. At the national conference, a Family Roundtable brings together 17 family members of abducted children, who share feedback on their experiences with first responders, investigators, prosecutors, and the media. Meanwhile, a report on Canadian AMBER Alerts reveals that since 2002, 29 alerts have been issued for 35 children, with most abductions—16 cases—committed by a family member.

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