The Chicago TV station WBBM could face a fine or penalty for using the Emergency Alert System (EAS) signal in a tease about an AMBER Alert issued and canceled that day. The FCC forbids the “false, fraudulent or unauthorized use” of the signal. WBBM's president said using the signal was a mistake and steps have been taken to ensure it does not happen again. Viacom, NBC and ESPN were fined $1.9 million in 2014 for using the EAS signal in a commercial; and a Bowling Green, Kentucky, TV station was fined $39,000 in 2013 for the same act. TBS was fined $25,000 that same year for using the signal in a promotional spot for Conan O'Brien's talk show.
The FBI offered a live action drill in Frankfurt, Illinois, on August 9, 2018, to train Chicago area officers how to handle child abductions. The scenario involved a 10-year-old girl who was missing after she left to see her tutor. Local law enforcement officers, the FBI and reporters with camera crews took part in the exercise. Officers gathered information from interviews and surveillance video to determine the girl entered the car of a man who claimed he needed help finding a lost dog. The drills are held to make sure law enforcement is ready during an actual abduction. “After 46 years, I've learned that you never stop learning; that learning new procedures, protocols and methods is what makes your agency able to handle an incident like this,” said Tim McCarthy, Orland Park Police.