Illinois now uses the Silver Alert to notify the public about a missing veteran or active duty military member with physical or mental health conditions. The expansion of the criteria is aimed at reducing suicides among veterans

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.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a law on August 2, 2013, that allows prosecutors to introduce a defendant's past similar convictions as evidence in child abduction cases. For most crimes, past convictions were not admissible during a trial. Supporters say it will allow jurors to consider whether the defendant has a propensity to target children. The law was spurred by a Chicago Tribune investigation that found child predators were rarely caught or received light sentences after repeated convictions.

Portrait of Dennis Lyle
Dennis Lyle

Dennis Lyle has a youthful smile, but he is a longtime veteran when it comes to the AMBER Alert. In 2001, Lyle used his experience as a broadcaster and his passion as a parent to help create a state AMBER Alert program in Illinois.

“The beauty of the AMBER Alert is it is a ‘how to manual’ on how to find abducted children,” said Lyle. “The AMBER Alert offers cut and dried procedures and a game plan.”

Lyle's broadcasting career began as an on-air personality in college. He later went into sales and management, and then purchased two radio stations. In 1999, Lyle was elected president of the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Two years later, he took up the challenge to use radio and TV to help find abducted children.

“I like the way the media has embraced and has become a critical component of the AMBER Alert,” said Lyle. “I like the fact that everyone has their marching orders, and everyone understands what their role is. People do not step on each other's toes, and no one challenges who makes the call. The cooperation has contributed to many successes.”

Lyle has spent the past decade educating fellow broadcasters about the AMBER Alert program. At a recent state convention, he had more than 500 broadcasters, law enforcement officers, state legislators, and other AMBER Alert partners take part in an interactive training session on the child abduction notification plan.

He also has pushed his colleagues to air public service announcements about the AMBER Alert and writes regularly about the alert in his newsletter for broadcasters. Lyle's efforts were recognized in 2010 when he was named the AMBER Alert Broadcaster/Media Person of the Year.

“This is one of the biggest honors I have ever received,” said Lyle. “Everybody involved in the AMBER Alert is dedicated to what it can mean to the recovery of abducted children. It is a labor of love, and we will do everything we can to keep the program alive.”

Lyle says much of the credit should be shared with Illinois AMBER Alert Coordinator and Missing Person Clearinghouse Director Cinda Lubich. He encourages all state AMBER Alert Coordinators to develop close relationships with their state broadcasting association.

“Herding different disciplines together is like herding cats,” said Lyle. “It takes someone with Cinda's law enforcement side to help us understand the minor details about what does or does not meet the AMBER Alert criteria.”

The National AMBER Alert Symposiums have also been a critical place for Lyle to learn from his broadcaster colleagues and other AMBER Alert partners. “It is a great opportunity to sit across from someone in law enforcement and the media to discuss criteria and what can be done better,” said Lyle.

Recently Lyle spent time preparing for the national test of the Emergency Alert System, which was held on November 9. “The test proved its worth. It identified what worked and what could be corrected,” said Lyle. Likewise, the broadcaster said each AMBER Alert Plan should be constantly reviewed and tested so it will work when needed most.

As for the future, Lyle said he would like to see AMBER Alerts on more media platforms, and he wishes people would have to opt out of getting alerts on their phones instead of opting in.

One final wish: “I would love to see the day when you do not need an AMBER Alert.” Until that happens, Lyle plans to keep learning and teaching others about the AMBER Alert.