AMBER Advocate Magazine

Issue 30

A study on sex trafficking in Las Vegas reveals that over half of underage victims are never reported missing, presenting a major challenge for the AMBER Alert program. The study shows that two-thirds of victims are minors, with an average age of 16, and that most are lured through romantic relationships or social media. A front-line story from Maryland highlights a successful AMBER Alert for an infant taken during a carjacking, with the baby safely recovered within minutes thanks to quick police action and two citizens who received the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and spotted the child. The “Faces of the AMBER Alert Network” section profiles two coordinators: Margie Quin from Tennessee, who oversees the state’s AMBER Alert program and certified Child Abduction Response Team (CART), and Craig Burge from Illinois, who attributes his program’s success to its simplicity and strong partnerships, especially with the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Internationally, a Canadian social worker advocates for an “Alex Alert” for at-risk children who don’t meet AMBER Alert criteria, Malta begins using Facebook to distribute alerts, and a Canadian province considers implementing a Silver Alert for missing elders. The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) expands its global efforts by releasing frameworks to help countries build and improve national alert systems. The Tribal Child Protection Symposium is scheduled in Bismarck, North Dakota, to address child exploitation, trafficking, and technologies for AMBER Alerts in Indian Country. Additional briefs include a report recommending changes to Kansas’s AMBER Alert system, Michigan updating its criteria to focus solely on abductions, and North Carolina and Missouri implementing new alerts or laws to protect officers and children.

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