Eleven minutes. That's how long it took a Troop F trooper to spot a stolen vehicle at a convenience store, arrest the driver, and pull a child out of the back seat safe. Minutes earlier, an AMBER Alert had gone out: a non-custodial father, wanted for killing the child's mother, was on the run with his son. By the time backup arrived, it was already over. 

Ask three different members of Troop F’s leadership team about that case, and three different vantage points come back—the operations director who watched the request move through channels, the lieutenant weighing whether the facts met the legal threshold, the coordinator trusting that the alert reached exactly the people who needed to see it. It’s the case each of them reaches for first when asked what this work looks like when it succeeds. 

That overlap says something about how this team operates. Missouri State Highway Patrol's Troop F covers the state's central region—Jefferson City, Columbia, the Lake of the Ozarks—through a command structure built on military service, small-town policing, and decades inside the Patrol. Captain Jason Crites and five lieutenants each run a different piece of Troop F's operations while sharing one high-stakes responsibility: deciding, often within minutes, whether a missing child meets the statutory threshold for a statewide AMBER Alert. 

Ask any of them what the public gets wrong, and the answer comes back almost word for word: people assume an alert should go out for every missing child. It doesn’t. The criteria are deliberately narrow—evidence of abduction, evidence of imminent danger—and cases that fall short are routed instead to Missouri’s Endangered Person Advisory system. It’s a distinction the team spends real energy explaining, and worth stating plainly before their individual stories begin. 

Capt. Jason N. Crites, Badge #32 

Missouri Statewide AMBER Alert Coordinator & Troop F Commander 

Crites grew up in Portageville, in Missouri’s southeast bootheel, and served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the Highway Patrol in 1998. He's held nearly every rank between Troops F and E—corporal, sergeant, lieutenant —and ran the Patrol’s Research and Development Division before returning to Troop F as commander and statewide AMBER Alert Coordinator, a dual role that puts him in charge of both central-region operations and every alert-activation decision in the state. 

The pull toward the job started next door. “An MSHP trooper moved in next door and let me ride along during his shifts,” he says. “Seeing him take decisive action during criminal encounters and help stranded motorists inspired me. I looked up to him as a mentor.” After the Marine Corps, becoming a trooper felt like the natural next step. 

As coordinator, Crites is the one drawing the line the public most often misunderstands. “We maintain very strict criteria for these activations,” he says, but a missing child who doesn’t meet AMBER Alert parameters isn’t simply left uncovered. Missouri's Endangered Person Advisory exists precisely for those cases. 

The case Crites points to as a defining success is a different one: a child abducted in central Missouri, where the reporting agency moved fast with a vehicle description, plate number, and direction of travel. Troop F targeted the alert to that corridor; a motorist spotted the car on the interstate; and because a saturation detail happened to be working nearby, a trooper made the stop and recovered the child within minutes. 

“Knowing that a child has been successfully recovered makes the entire grind of maintaining and improving the system completely worth the effort. As a parent, I cannot imagine the fear of having a child abducted.” — Capt. Jason N. Crites

The job's weight doesn't disappear at the end of a shift. Crites manages it with a small ritual: “A personal coping mechanism I developed when I was younger is watching a movie after a critical incident or stressful day. It allows me to temporarily disconnect so I can return to duty with a clear mind.” His advice to newer Coordinators is practical rather than sentimental—master the criteria, tighten your transmission process, and never work without backup. “Having six qualified staff members allows us to consult one another on complicated requests to ensure we make the right call.” 

Lt. Joseph D. Davidson, Badge #66 

District 4 Operations Director 

Davidson grew up in Kahoka, in Missouri’s far northeast corner, and spent seven years in local law enforcement—three as a detention officer, four as a Clark County deputy—before joining the Highway Patrol in 2004. He spent his first two decades in Troop B, rising to corporal and sergeant, before a promotion to lieutenant in August 2024 moved his family to Jefferson City. He now runs District 4 operations, supervising three zones along Interstate 70 and commercial vehicle enforcement, while also serving as motor equipment manager, Honor Guard coordinator, awards coordinator, and property control administrator. 

His grandfather was a law enforcement officer, and watching that career shaped his own. “By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” he says. 

Davidson's read on the public’s biggest misunderstanding goes a step further than most: it’s not just that people expect an alert for every missing child—many also assume an alert failed simply because they didn’t personally receive it. In most cases, that's a matter of geography, not system failure; alerts are targeted to the area where the child is believed to be. 

His own defining case unfolded on Interstate 70, not at a convenience store. FLOCK license-plate cameras flagged the suspect vehicle, and rapid coordination between radio operators and road troopers turned that lead into a safe recovery within minutes—a case that shows how much depends on technology and dispatch working in sync, not just a trooper’s instincts in the moment. 

Davidson’s role is largely support—keeping troopers and clerical staff equipped and functioning—and that’s where his motivation comes from: “Knowing that they depend on me every day to get them what they need keeps me highly motivated.” Outside of work, it’s family: 18 years married to his wife, Haley, three kids, weekends at the Lake of the Ozarks, golf, pickleball, and lawn care. 

“Seek help when you need it; it is a sign of strength, not weakness … do your best not to let your career become your entire identity.” — Lt. Joseph D. Davidson

Lt. Chris S. Daniels, Badge #55 

District Lieutenant & Public Order Unit Assistant Platoon Leader 

Daniels grew up in Richmond, Missouri, and graduated from Missouri Western State University before joining the Missouri State Water Patrol in 2000, working the Lake of the Ozarks as a patrol officer. When the Water Patrol merged into the Highway Patrol in 2011, he became a trooper without leaving the Lake, working up to corporal and sergeant before a 2022 promotion to lieutenant. He now manages four road zones within Troop F, supervises radio and maintenance staff, coordinates the University of Missouri football detail, serves as an assistant platoon leader for the Public Order Unit, and acts as the Exposure Control Plan coordinator. 

His path into the field was simple and direct: “Upon completing college, I had a simple, direct desire to work in a public service field where I could actively help people and improve the community I live in.” He names integrity, clear communication, critical thinking, and decisiveness as the traits the job demands—and describes the daily balancing act at the center of alert decisions as “a high-stakes balancing act of gathering and verifying facts against established criteria while managing the extreme urgency required to issue a timely alert.” He’s one of several on the team who point to the Interstate 70 recovery described above as the case that stays with him. 

What keeps him going is uncomplicated: “Having the distinct knowledge that the work I perform actually matters to people and makes a tangible difference in our communities.” Off duty, he protects time with his family deliberately, calling it essential to not “take the burdens of the job home with you.” 

Lt. James E. Lowary, Badge #91 

District Lieutenant & Public Order Unit Coordinator 

Lowary grew up in Quincy, Illinois, and attended Missouri Southern College in Joplin before the Missouri State Water Patrol hired him in 2000 at the Lake of the Ozarks. He moved into the Highway Patrol in 2004, first assigned to Audrain County, then serving across Camden, Miller, and Cole counties as a corporal and sergeant before making lieutenant in 2023. He now oversees Troop F’s marine zones and the Lake of the Ozarks road zones, coordinates the Public Order Unit, and serves as the troop’s drug test officer. 

Lowary’s draw to the work is rooted in protecting people who can’t protect themselves: “I have always felt drawn to protecting vulnerable individuals who cannot advocate for themselves … law enforcement offers a powerful platform to hold offenders accountable while helping impacted families rebuild their lives.” He describes integrity and “a rock-solid moral compass” as non-negotiable, since “children depend entirely on law enforcement to advocate for them.” Like several of his colleagues, the case he returns to is the interstate recovery of the boy abducted by his non-custodial father—a reminder, he says, that “every second is critical, yet all actions must remain tethered to verified facts.” 

Outside the uniform, Lowary's life runs on a different clock entirely: a farm with horses and cattle, a wife and daughter who compete in barrel racing, and time spent deer hunting. 

“It is essential to focus on interests outside the patrol, so work does not interfere with family life.” — Lt. James E. Lowary

Lt. Casey Utterback, Badge #103 

District I Commander & Assistant Patrol ALERT Coordinator 

Utterback grew up in a small central Missouri town and joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 1997 before earning an Associate of Arts degree and completing a 470-hour police academy. After three years in municipal policing, he joined the Highway Patrol in 2002, working up through corporal and master sergeant in Troop A out of Kansas City before a promotion to lieutenant brought him to Troop F in 2021. He now commands District I, overseeing Motor Vehicle Inspection, Driver Examination, the Chaplain program, and the SWAT team, in addition to his role as assistant Patrol ALERT Coordinator. 

“I knew by high school that I wanted to pursue both the military and law enforcement,” he says, describing an empathetic nature and a drive to serve that predates his career. He points to communication and emotional intelligence—paired with “a solid moral compass and core integrity”—as the foundation of effective leadership in the role. 

The hardest part of his job isn’t any single case; it’s the whiplash between them. “The toughest challenge is rapidly shifting gears between radically different tasks within a span of minutes—such as transitioning from tedious administrative paperwork directly to supervising a high-speed vehicle pursuit or managing an officer-involved shooting scene.” 

His defining case happened in the Kansas City area: a vehicle stolen with a child inside while the mother ran into a store. The AMBER Alert triggered a multi-jurisdictional pursuit—local, county, and state agencies working together—that ended with a tire-spike, a short foot chase, an arrest, and the child safely back with her mother. 

Utterback manages the job’s weight by accepting its limits: “certain outcomes are completely beyond your control, regardless of how much effort you expend.” He protects time for physical fitness and family—sporting events, holidays, family dinners. 

“Life is short, so make a conscious effort to make it enjoyable for yourself and those around you.” — Lt. Casey Utterback

Lt. Morgan B. Patterson, Badge #88 

Administrative Services Director & Assistant Troop F SWAT Director 

Patterson is a Jefferson City native who attended the State Technical College of Missouri and joined the Highway Patrol in 2010 as part of the 92nd Recruit Class. He worked the road in Osage and Gasconade counties before being promoted to corporal, then sergeant in Cole County, then spent a tour instructing at the Patrol’s Academy before making lieutenant in 2023. He now serves as Troop F’s administrative services director and assistant director of Troop F SWAT. 

“I witnessed firsthand how dedicated law enforcement officers could change lives,” he says of his path into the field, describing a lasting sense of responsibility “to stand up for those who cannot protect themselves.” He names integrity and communication as the two pillars of emergency response—the first ensuring decisions are based on accurate data, the second keeping field officers, agencies, and the public aligned during a crisis. 

The case Patterson points to isn’t a clean rescue—it’s one that almost didn’t happen. A request initially fell short of AMBER Alert criteria, and the team made the harder call: deny it and tell the detective exactly what evidence was missing. Once the agency came back with what was needed, the alert went out immediately. A trooper spotted the vehicle, made a brief pursuit, and recovered the children unharmed. It’s a story less about speed than restraint—proof that getting the criteria right, even when it means saying no first, is what makes the system work. 

Patterson’s motivation is close to home: a husband and father of three young boys, he says they’re “a daily reminder of exactly why this work is so important.” He recharges by coaching their sports teams, calling it “a healthy, positive outlet outside of the uniform.” 

“Never attempt to make critical, life-altering decisions in isolation … build a cohesive team that communicates openly and trusts one another.” — Lt. Morgan B. Patterson

Six Paths, One Clock 

Six different paths into the job, six different corners of Troop F's territory—but the same math shows up in every conversation: children can’t wait, the criteria can’t bend, and no single person carries that weight alone. That's the case this team keeps making, one alert at a time. 

Lieutenant Jenna Clawson Huibregtse speaking at a podium with a North Dakota State Patrol SUV in the background.

Lieutenant Jenna Clawson Huibregtse coaching two teams of five young boy basketball teams.

“Progress moves at the speed of trust.” 

For Lieutenant Jenna Clawson Huibregtse, this principle is the foundation of effective emergency response. Serving with the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP) and operating as the state's AMBER Alert Coordinator/Clearinghouse Manager, she navigates the intense intersection of urgent missing persons cases and strict policy enforcement. From pioneering cultural liaison programs to implementing North Dakota's newly established Feather and Missing Endangered Persons Alerts, Clawson Huibregtse shares her expert perspective on managing high-stakes alerts, overcoming interjurisdictional complexities, and maintaining resilience in a demanding field. 

Could you share a bit about your current role, the region you serve, and your background? 

As a NDHP lieutenant, my responsibilities span public information, social media, dignitary protection, Capitol security, recruitment, and the crash/victims assistance program. I am also North Dakota’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager/AMBER Alert Coordinator, overseeing statewide activations including Blue, Silver, Feather, and Missing Endangered Persons Alerts. 

I grew up in Plentywood, Montana, and began my career with the agency in 2015 after earning a master’s degree from North Dakota State University. Proudly, I am a first-generation college graduate and a first-generation law enforcement officer. 

What led you to your position as an AMBER Alert Coordinator and Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager? 

I always desired a dynamic career, and my path was heavily influenced by personal and community experiences. After joining the NDHP in 2015, I helped create our Cultural Liaison Officer Program following the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The program's goal was to build relationships, increase trust, and reduce jurisdictional complexities with Tribal nations. Since then, I have worked closely with local, county, Tribal, state, and federal partners. 

Throughout my tenure, I have served as a patrol trooper, cultural liaison officer, planning officer, safety and education officer, and dignitary protection officer. Managing the Clearinghouse has been exceptionally rewarding, allowing me to strengthen statewide communication while helping locate missing and endangered individuals. 

How has the Clearinghouse approached training and communication since the introduction of new adult alerts? 

The Feather Alert and Missing Endangered Persons Alert were established during the 2025 legislative session to address a critical gap for endangered adults 18 and older at risk of serious bodily injury or death. While we have utilized these alerts a few times over the last year, we maintain strict activation criteria, particularly concerning Wireless Emergency Alerts. 

Expanding a clearinghouse mandate naturally impacts day-to-day operations, but our successful implementation stems from pre-existing relationships with law enforcement agencies and Tribal nations. One of my personal rules is that relationships must be built before an emergency occurs; trying to forge them in the middle of a crisis rarely works well. 

Following the legislation, our team took proactive steps: 

• We conducted more than 15 training sessions directly in communities across North Dakota. 

• The training was provided to licensed law enforcement officers, emergency managers, and telecommunicators. 

• We delivered training to four of the five Tribal nations that share geography with North Dakota, with the fifth pending scheduling. 

• We emphasized front-end education to clarify alert criteria, reducing unqualified requests and helping agencies navigate cases that fall into a gray area. 

• We actively guided local agencies to maximize existing resources like reverse 911 systems, social media, and media releases. 

With every alert request, we continue learning and refining the process. This success is a shared team effort among the NDHP, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the State Emergency Communications Center, and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. 

What essential skills make someone effective in this demanding role? 

Coordinators require strong relationship-building abilities, excellent communication skills, and the capacity to lead with empathy while making firm, decisive choices. These rapid-moving cases involve numerous partners and require balancing extreme urgency with strict policy compliance. Success demands building trust beforehand and sustaining it under pressure. The role also brings heavy public scrutiny, especially when cases do not meet alert criteria, making a strong support system essential for staying grounded and effective. 

What is the biggest public misconception about issuing alerts? 

The public often believes law enforcement can activate an AMBER Alert or Missing Child Advisory anytime a child goes missing. In reality, these tools are reserved for the highest-risk scenarios where immediate public awareness can save a life, and they are only utilized when public assistance is actively needed. 

Another misconception is that an unissued alert means law enforcement is ignoring the case. Extensive behind-the-scenes investigative work, agency coordination, and local outreach happen continuously without a statewide broadcast being activated. Overusing alerts outside established guidelines causes "alert fatigue," leading the public to ignore true emergencies. Our goal is always to use the right tool at the right time. 

Can you share a specific success story? 

One profound success involved an AMBER Alert issued from the Fort Berthold Reservation for a 2-year-old child trapped in the backseat of a stolen vehicle. The rapid alert activation generated multiple public sightings and made the suspect aware of the massive law enforcement response, resulting in the child's safe return. That outcome hinged on several factors: quick reporting, swift law enforcement action, and seamless interagency partnerships. Cases like that reinforce why these alert systems exist and how important timing can be. 

We also handle a high volume of Silver Alert requests. By working these cases aggressively from the beginning with local technology and resources, we often resolve them safely before a public broadcast even becomes necessary. Ultimately, our extremely high success rate comes directly from collaboration between law enforcement, emergency communications, media, Tribal nations, and an attentive public. 

How do you manage the stress of the job and recharge? 

This heavy work stays with you, especially cases involving vulnerable children. No one does it alone. I rely on trusted colleagues and focus on the core mission: protecting vulnerable people and supporting families on some of the worst days of their lives. I stay motivated by watching local, Tribal, state, and federal partners unite to bring loved ones home. 

To recharge, I coach youth sports, stay active, and prioritize intentional time with my family. Law enforcement can easily consume your entire identity; maintaining balance allows me to keep perspective and continue showing up for the communities we serve. 

What advice do you have for fellow coordinators and new professionals? 

• Build relationships before you need them, because progress moves at the speed of trust. 

• Invest time in getting to know your partners before a crisis hits, as these collaborative partnerships cannot be created in the middle of an emergency. 

• Remember that policies, criteria, and technology matter, but communication and empathy matter just as much when guiding families and agencies through difficult, fast-paced decisions. 

• Stay collaborative by finding mentors, asking questions, and being willing to learn from every single case. 

• Stay humble and never lose sight of why the work matters in the first place.