AMBER Alert Best Practices

The first few minutes and hours after a child has been abducted are critical to any search and rescue effort. They often can mean the difference between a happy reunion between parents and child and missed opportunities and regret. At these crucial moments, everyone involved in the search and rescue effort must understand how the entire process works and his or her role in the effort. This guide, which spells out roles and responsibilities and the progression of events in a well-coordinated AMBER Alert process, was created to support and improve national, state, regional, and local responses to child abductions. Over the past decade, as AMBER Alert has expanded into a nationwide program, we at the Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have worked hard to identify what works and how we can improve the process of issuing an alert and coordinating public input into the search. We have sought out the many AMBER Alert stakeholders for their expertise and insights into how to enhance the process. Our partners have told us a great deal about what works and what issues must be considered to develop an effective AMBER Alert plan. This publication encapsulates the knowledge and expertise that our partners have shared with us. It provides a general overview of each discipline's responsibilities when an AMBER Alert has been issued and recommends practices to improve the response to cases of missing or abducted children. We have made tremendous progress since 1996, when the first AMBER Alert plan was launched. However, as with any major initiative that brings together many agencies and organizations, we must remain vigilant and find ways to improve our understanding of how each stakeholder's role and responsibility fits into the overall collaboration. The stakes are high because the safety and welfare of our children are in the balance. This guide will help states and communities more effectively execute and coordinate their response when their children need them the most.