The Missouri State Highway Patrol can now send targeted AMBER and Blue Alerts to people living near the incident. The location-specific alerts are part of an upgrade to the state’s AMBER Alert system. Troopers hope the targeted alerts will help the public pay more attention to the notifications, and law enforcement is still able to send statewide alerts if they are needed.
Nona Best is the Director of the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons. She has been with the center under purview of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol since 2009. Her state career began in 2003 as a corrections officer, also serving as a processing assistant for the State Bureau of Investigation, and as a lottery supervisor for the Alcohol Law Enforcement branch. Best became interested in missing juvenile cases as her office while supervising the lottery was juxtaposed closely to the Center for Missing Persons. Astounded at the number of missing juvenile cases, she wanted to pursue work with the center. Best now trains law enforcement officers on how to handle missing persons, sex trafficking and international abduction cases. She also works as an advocate for abused and neglected children with the Guardian Ad Litem program.
WHAT IS UNIQUE TO YOUR MISSING PERSONS PROGRAM, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK HELPS MAKE YOUR PROGRAM SUCCESSFUL?
I think what is unique about the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons is it is a one-stop shop. I handle all missing persons, adults and children for the state. All three of the state’s alert systems (AMBER, SILVER, EAS and BLUE) are housed and activated from the Center, which is manned 24/7 through our nationally known number, 800- 522-KIDS (5437). We are successful because we try to keep our training levels up. I get training and go out and train every chance I get. Once I receive training, I share it with my chain of command and through the communication line with troopers so we can grow strong together. Everyone understands why any request from the center is needed and why it is a priority.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO FIND MISSING AND ABDUCTED CHILDREN?
First and foremost I think it’s because I’m a mother and a foster parent. I can’t imagine not knowing where my child is. I worry about the children out there and their safety. I know the average person doesn’t understand how people can go missing without a clue or reason. It’s hard when you have a parent or grandparent on the phone crying, to not cry with them. I sometimes have to start praying and trying to keep the parent encouraged with hope. What I love about my job is helping left-behind parents and siblings at their most vulnerable time and being able to assist them in a way that gives them understanding about the process of finding their missing loved ones.
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE IN MAINTAINING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND STRENGTH OF YOUR AMBER ALERT AND MISSING PERSON PROGRAMS?
I work with a great group of people. For the most part I get to work the programs and make changes as I see fit. I have such great support from above that I’m able to get our needs met without delays.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN WITH YOUR AMBER ALERT AND OTHER PROGRAMS IN THE FUTURE?
I would love to see all my alert programs automated with no paper trail. The Blue alert is the only alert that is automated in a way that law enforcement can go in and create their request online and we approve it online. We are working to get the Silver and AMBER Alert programs set up that way.
Also, I continue to advocate for stricter criteria for our Silver Alert program. The current language states the alert is for a person “believed to be” suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or a disability that requires them to be protected from abuse or harm.
I would like the criteria to say that the person is “diagnosed” rather than “believed to be” suffering. I would also like to have more annual statewide training sessions and a stronger relationship with our Indian Country partners.
PLEASE SHARE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR MOST MEMORABLE SUCCESS STORY IN WORKING A MISSING CHILD CASE. HOW DID THE AMBER ALERT AND CENTER FOR MISSING PERSONS SUPPORT THE OUTCOME?
During the past 10 years there are many good ones, and sad ones, to remember. We were really blessed in one case from 2016 in New Hanover County. A six-year-old girl was abducted from her yard while playing with her siblings.
A convicted sex offender was riding by on a moped and just stopped, scooped her up and took off. Thankfully the kids ran in and told their parents immediately. The public also started calling 911 saying there was a small child on a moped without a helmet. Although it was 18 hours before the child was located, the suspect was identified fairly quickly. The victim was found the next day chained to a tree in the woods about eight miles from her home.
Sheriff McMahon said it best, “I think you can say we beat the odds today.” We are all amazed and grateful she was alive; but at the same time we were hurt that this child and her family had to experience this.
HOW HAVE YOUR CAREER AND LIFE EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING YOUR WORK AS AN AMBER ALERT COORDINATOR AND/OR CLEARINGHOUSE MANAGER, STRENGTHENED YOUR COMMITMENT TO HELPING ENDANGERED, MISSING AND ABDUCTED CHILDREN?
The job and training really keep you on your toes. You think about it everywhere you go. If I’m in public and I see a child wandering or running around alone, I automatically go into alert mode. I start looking for parents, watching the child and sometimes getting upset that parents could be so careless.
My commitment to training and talking to youth has increased now more than ever due to sex trafficking. It is so prevalent and growing so fast but it’s like a shadow. No one is paying attention except law enforcement. Teens, even runaways, still don’t seem to be aware of or worry about sex trafficking.
State laws need to be tightened and changed to provide the left-behind parents with more protection and rights. An absent parent should be held accountable and not allowed to pick up and leave with a child. The trauma to the child and left-behind parent is tremendous. The left-behind parent also has to come up with money to start the proceedings to get the child back. I just feel that is so wrong.
HOW HAS TRAINING HELPED YOU IN AMBER ALERT CASES?
AMBER Alert trainings like the annual symposiums are priceless. The networking and classes open your mind to new ideas and always make me rededicate myself to do all I can. I always come home with a long to-do list. The training helps me be the state’s expert on missing and abducted persons and supports me in keeping all our programs running with progress.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER AMBER ALERT PARTNERS?
Get training, and always feel free to call on your AMBER Alert partners. Everyone I have ever called with a question, a request for assistance, a program information sheet or anything else has been more than happy to help. It is a wonderful world to be in when people doing the same work as you, have the same passion for the work as you are willing to offer assistance.
I love that you also get to go put faces with the names at the national level. I would also suggest they share their training opportunities with others who are interested in or work missing person’s cases.
On August 18, 2009, Katy, Texas, Police Officer Julio Reyes abducted fellow officer Rachel Hillsman at gunpoint. Exactly one year earlier, Texas had initiated the Blue Alert system to notify the public when a law enforcement officer was killed or seriously injured in the line of duty. In a strange coincidence, on the first anniversary of the system, Texas issued its first alert for an officer who had been abducted by another officer.
After the alert was issued, police launched an extensive search on the ground and in the air. The suspect and hostage were found near some homes under construction. Reyes opened fire and used Hillsman as a human shield to get away. A standoff lasted several hours before Reyes released Hillsman unharmed. Before officers could move in to arrest Reyes, he shot himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The state has issued two more alerts since that day. Texas AMBER Alert Coordinator Sam Allen says the Blue Alert has become an important tool for the state.
“The Blue Alert is definitely important because it is such a heinous crime to attack a police officer who is protecting our life and liberty,” said Allen. “It is a way for the public to give back to the people who serve us on a day-to-day basis.”
On October 17, 2011, Utah became the tenth state to initiate an alert for fallen officers. Six more states have pending legislation for a Blue Alert.
“We have learned from the AMBER Alert how the public can quickly provide important tips and save lives,” said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. “The Blue Alert will also protect the public and other officers.”
Utah law enforcement officers and broadcasters worked together to create a plan that would help fallen officers without creating any confusion with the AMBER Alert. In Utah, a Blue Alert notifies law enforcement and the media; it is also posted on highway signs. Broadcasters decide when to break into programming.
In Utah and most states, only law enforcement can issue a Blue Alert that meets strict criteria: has the suspect killed, seriously injured, or assaulted a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon; is the suspect an imminent threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel; is information available for the public about the suspect, the suspect's vehicle, and vehicle tag; and will public dissemination of available information help avert further harm or accelerate apprehension of the suspect.
“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day,” said Layton (Utah) Police Chief Terry Keefe. “The Blue Alert will quickly let law enforcement and the public know that an officer is down and a suspect is on the loose.”
California also has a Blue Alert system, but so far, the state has not used it. California Highway Patrol Assistant Chief LD Maples helped implement the Blue Alert while serving as the state's AMBER Alert Coordinator. Initially, Maples was reluctant to add another alert.
“We were always concerned about something that would affect AMBER Alert,” said Maples. “But anyone who will threaten law enforcement is threatening society. People who kill police officers have no hesitation to kill any other person, and we need to bring those resources to bear to make sure no one else gets hurt.”
So far, California and Texas have not seen a negative impact on the AMBER Alert. “I did not see it watering down the AMBER Alert,” said Allen. “It would have an impact if we had hundreds of officers being killed, but fortunately that is not the case.”
Endangered Missing Advisory
The Blue Alert may be new, but 39 states have a plan to notify the public for missing people who do not fit the AMBER Alert criteria. Six years ago, five states had an alert for non-AMBER Alert cases.
In March 2011, the Department of Justice published the “Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory.” The guide suggests ways that states can develop a plan to help find missing endangered people without jeopardizing the success of the AMBER Alert.
For most states, the advisory goes out to law enforcement and the media. Broadcasters decide whether they want to break into programming. Maples says it was important to have a title and a plan for how law enforcement responds when a person is missing and in danger.
“Even before the guidelines came out, we implemented something to give a title of what we do when we do not issue an AMBER Alert,” said Maples. “It is not just a case of doing nothing. We always do something. The Endangered Missing Advisory lets the public know we are doing something that has led to safe recoveries in many cases.”
Utah was one of the first states to develop an alert for cases that did not meet the AMBER Alert criteria. During the first five years, Utah issued 92 advisories for 100 people, of which 80 people returned home safely, and 17 people were recovered specifically because of the advisory.
About half of the states have no age restrictions for the advisory. Most of the states with age restrictions issue advisories for the elderly only. An alert for a senior citizen is often called a Silver Alert, and senior citizen groups have lobbied federal and state legislators to create national or state Silver Alert programs.
Bottom Line on Additional Alerts
It should not be a surprise that the success of the AMBER Alert has spurred others to imitate the program for other uses. Many AMBER Alert partners seem eager to try something new if it does not negatively impact what is tried and true.
“As legislatures pass more of these programs, we need to make sure the public is not desensitized,” said Allen.
“Whether it is a Blue or Silver Alert, you are still meeting needs, but keep the AMBER Alert what it is,” concluded Maples.