AMBER Advocate Magazine

Issue 45

This issue highlights how the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic by launching virtual, instructor-led training courses through platforms like Zoom, offering interactive learning for child protection professionals. A front-lines story from Utah details the safe recovery of an abducted infant, thanks to two sisters who responded to a Wireless Emergency Alert and heard a baby crying nearby. The Utah Department of Public Safety’s updated alert plan and WEA system play a key role in the rescue. Pennsylvania’s AMBER Alert Coordinator, Corporal Shawn Kofluk, emphasizes the importance of monthly training and mock alerts. Coordinators Christopher Minek of Ohio and Joshua Kean of New York are profiled for their work on family feedback and regional alert reviews. Briefs include Kentucky’s new law for rapid missing person notifications, Florida’s clickable alerts, Pennsylvania’s “Jay Alert” for hit-and-runs, and the Navajo Nation’s first independent AMBER Alert. Texas lawmakers consider new alerts for mass shootings and missing military members, while international updates include Finland joining AMBER Alert Europe’s expert network and the Netherlands launching a “Ride to Find” campaign using food couriers to distribute missing persons posters.

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