Order Code RS21453
Updated February 13, 2007
Amber Alert Program Technology
Linda K. Moore
Analyst in Telecommunications Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Summary
Amber Alerts (also referred to as AMBER plans) use technology to disseminate
information about child abductions in a timely manner. Research has found that most
abducted children murdered by their kidnappers are killed within three hours of the
abduction. Prompt response to child abductions is therefore deemed critical by many.
Amber Alert plans are voluntary partnerships including law enforcement agencies,
highway departments, and communications companies that provide emergency alerts.
Technologies used for alerts include the Emergency Alert System (EAS), highway
messages boards, telephone alert systems, the Internet, text messaging, and e-mail. Over
100 communities have Amber Alert programs and all 50 states have statewide alert
plans. Because kidnappers can cross state lines with their victims, the Department of
Justice will often be involved in responding to an abduction. For this and other reasons
there is increased federal involvement in and support of Amber Alert plans.
This report deals with technology and related policy issues. Other CRS reports
discuss protective programs for minors and current legislation. This report will be
updated to reflect significant changes in technology.
How Amber Alerts Work
Amber Alerts1 (also referred to as AMBER2) use technology to disseminate
information about child abductions in a timely manner. Typically an Amber Alert is
triggered for children under 18 who are believed by law enforcement officers to have been
abducted (except in cases of parental abduction). Research has found that most abducted
children murdered by their kidnappers are killed within three hours of the abduction.
Prompt response to child abductions is therefore deemed critical by many. Law
enforcement officers are encouraged to send out an alert if circumstances indicate that the
1 Named after Amber Hagerman, kidnaped and murdered in 1996. Websites with additional
information include [http://codeamber.org/] and the site of the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, [http://www.ncmec.org]. Both sites viewed February 13, 2007.
2 For “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.”
CRS-2
child is in harm’s way, if they have sufficient descriptive information about the child
and/or the abductor for an alert, and if they believe that the immediate broadcast of an
alert will help. When there is information about a vehicle used in an abduction, this
information will usually be transmitted to highway messages boards, if that technology
is in place. While each plan sets its own parameters, most follow guidelines set by the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
A typical Amber Alert, would include an Emergency Alert System (EAS) broadcast,
alerts on highway message boards, and notifications to public service partners such as
police, highway patrols and the field crews of public utilities. Also, computer systems
such as Emergency Digital Information System (EDIS)3 allow law enforcement agencies
to share information and photos, if available. A number of counties and cities have
Amber Alert programs that notify local residents using e-mail or telephone alert systems
to aid in the recovery of abducted children. Alerts can also be sent by text messages to
cell phones and other wireless devices. Cingular, Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless and T-
Mobile are among the wireless service providers that participate in the Amber Alert
network; subscribers can sign up for free text messages.4 These systems have the
advantage of targeting selected audiences by function or geographical location but may
not be received in a timely manner; telephone alert systems, for example, can be blocked
by call-screening technologies.
Amber Alerts and All-Hazards Warnings
Some states participate in a consortium that uses Internet technology customized for
Amber Alerts.5 Information about an Amber Alert is sent to a web portal and
reconfigured for different types of broadcasting, including cell phones, pagers, e-mail,
highway signs, TV news websites, and emergency communications center. The
technology allows police officers to transmit details and photos through encrypted
computer systems in patrol cars. Information, therefore, is disseminated both more
quickly and more widely, maximizing the opportunity to find a missing child in the
critical first three hours. The alert system is managed from a dedicated web portal that
can be accessed by statewide or local systems. The software recognizes the reported
locations of abductions and sends emergency messages to targeted areas.
Emergency Alert System (EAS)6
EAS sends emergency messages with the cooperation of broadcast radio and
television and most cable television stations. Its most common use is for weather alerts.
3 The State of California has pioneered EDIS, designed, notably, to supplement EAS. EDIS
provides digitized information through direct computer links and radio to public safety agencies,
news media, and anyone with access to the Internet. See [http://www.edis.ca.gov/]. Viewed
February 13, 2007.
4 For more information, see [http://www.wirelessfoundation.org] and [https://www
.wirelessamberalerts.org/index.jsp]. Both sites viewed February 13, 2007.
5 For more information, see [http://www.amberalert911.com/]]. Viewed February 13, 2007.
6 See CRS Report RL32527, Emergency Communications: The Emergency Alert System (EAS)
and All-Hazard Warnings, by Linda K. Moore.
CRS-3
Recently, EAS technology has been put to use in the Amber Alert programs administered
in some states and communities. To facilitate transmittal, EAS messages are classified
by types of events, which are coded. These event codes speed the recognition and
retransmittal process at broadcast stations. For example, a tornado warning is TOR,
evacuation immediate is EVI, a civil emergency message is CEM. When a message is
received at the broadcast station, it can be relayed to the public either as a program
interruption or, for television, a “crawl” at the bottom of the TV screen. Although
broadcaster participation is mandatory for national alerts, the participation of broadcast
and cable stations in state and local emergency announcements is voluntary.
In the early stages of Amber Alert program development the CEM (civil emergency)
event code was used for EAS messages. In February 2002, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) added several new event and location codes for broadcast and cable
stations to use; included was a Child Abduction Emergency (CAE) event code. Stations
are not required to modify their equipment to recognize the new codes and many Amber
Alerts are still coded as civil emergencies for transmission. New equipment installed by
broadcast and cable stations after February 2004, however, must be able to receive and
transmit the new codes.7
Presidential Initiatives and The Department of Justice
Because kidnappers can cross state lines with their victims, the Department of Justice
will often be involved in responding to an abduction. For this and other reasons there is
increased federal involvement in and support of Amber Alert plans. However, critics are
concerned about the possibility of false arrests, overzealous vigilantism, the release of
sensitive information about minors, and confusion with homeland security alerts.
President George W. Bush and Congress have encouraged federal support for Amber
Alerts.8 In October 2002, the President requested that the Department of Justice establish
standards for the issuing and dissemination of Amber Alerts. The Departments of Justice
and Transportation were charged with the responsibility of improving the “network of
AMBER plans,” including “electronic billboards along the Nation’s highways.”9 On
April 30, 2003, the president signed into law the PROTECT Act (P.L. 108-21), formally
establishing the federal government’s role in the Amber Alert system. The Office of
Justice Programs, at the Department of Justice, now include an Amber Alert division.10
crsphpgw
7 FCC, Report and Order, Docket No. 01-66, released February 22, 2002.
8 “Bush Promotes ‘Amber Alert’ System,” Washington Post, October 3, 2002.
9 “Remarks at the White House Conference on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children,”
Public Papers of the President, October 7, 2002.
10 See [http://www.amberalert.gov/]. Viewed February 13, 2007