The Jefferson County Chiefs and Sheriff Association in Wisconsin recognized an Iowa man as the “2015 Citizen of the Year” after hearing an AMBER Alert and helping officers safely recover a 3-year-old Milwaukee girl. Authorities said a 32-year-old man forced the girl’s mother out of her car and drove off with the child still inside. Paul D. Smith was sitting in his hotel room when he saw the AMBER Alert on TV. He went out to the hotel parking lot and discovered the missing vehicle and called the sheriff’s department. Deputies arrested the suspect after he tried to flee his hotel room.

“My dad always said we are put on this earth to help one another and I try and honor him by doing that every time I get a chance,” said Smith at the awards ceremony. “I am so grateful and humbled that I was able to do that in your community and, with law enforcement, we were able to return a child to her home.”

A total of 220 children were found safe during the six years that Assistant Chief LD Maples oversaw the California AMBER Alert Program. The former State Coordinator created a statewide AMBER Alert training team to teach law enforcement and media. He also created the “California AMBER Alert Criteria Reference Card” to help law enforcement officers make quick decisions during missing or abducted child investigations.

Maples partnered with the National Weather Service to activate the Emergency Alert System and was involved in getting alerts distributed to cell phones, billboards, Internet sites, and tens of thousands of California State Lottery digital terminals. He also developed Endangered Missing Advisories for cases that did not meet the AMBER Alert criteria. On a personal note, the father of 3 recently traveled to Cambodia to help rehabilitate girls rescued from human trafficking. “Maples has demonstrated leadership, innovation, and a personal passion for the AMBER Alert Program,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Janet Lockhart who nominated Maples for this award.