AMBER Advocate Magazine

Issue 27

This issue profiles Fran Keith as she retires after 11 years as an AMBER Alert program manager. Beginning her career as a math teacher before transitioning into law enforcement, Keith plays a pivotal role in building the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), expanding it to every U.S. state and territory and developing key resources like the Endangered Missing Advisory. A commemorative piece, The Birth of the AMBER Alert Program, marks the 20th anniversary of Amber Hagerman’s abduction and murder, recounting how local citizen Diane Simone inspired the creation of the alert system. Two new Child Abduction Response Teams (CARTs)—the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and the Pierce County Regional CART in Washington—receive national certification after completing mock abduction exercises and meeting rigorous standards. A front-line story from Nebraska details the safe recovery of a two-month-old infant abducted by a family friend, thanks to a citizen’s tip about a vehicle stuck in the mud. The issue also announces the 2016 National Child Protection Symposium and Leadership Forum in Arizona, focusing on child exploitation, human trafficking, and endangered children. Internationally, U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies conduct a mock abduction exercise under the Southern Border Initiative, and a European study finds AMBER Alerts effective but in need of improvement in some countries. Additional briefs highlight Michigan’s launch of a Blue Alert system for fallen officers, two New Mexico officers honored for locating a missing boy from New Hampshire, and an Iowa man named “Citizen of the Year” for helping recover a toddler.

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