On January 21, the Senate quickly and unanimously approved, 92-0, legislation (S. 121) designed to assist parents and law enforcement officials to recover abducted children. The bill is identical to one that passed the Senate in September of last year (see The Source, 9/13/02). A similar measure was included in an omnibus anti-crime package that was approved by the House last October (see The Source, 10/11/02), but stalled in the Senate.
Sponsored by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), S. 121 would accelerate the development of a nationwide AMBER alert system, the communications network used to locate and rescue abducted children. The legislation would authorize $25 million in FY2004 to provide assistance to states and localities for the development of AMBER alert systems, electronic message boards, and training and education programs.
The bill also would establish a national coordinator of the AMBER alert communications network within the Department of Justice (DoJ). The coordinator would work with states to expand the network and ensure regional coordination of alerts on abducted children. Additionally, the legislation would require the DoJ to develop minimal standards for the regional coordination of AMBER alerts.
Sen. Feinstein noted, “AMBER alerts are powerful tools because they can be issued within minutes of an abduction and reach a wide public audience.”
Sen. Hutchison agreed, pointing out that “75 percent of child homicides occur within three hours of abduction.” She added, “If we can find a child within twenty-four hours, we have the best chance for them to be recovered safely.”
The AMBER alert system was established in 1996 after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas, was abducted and murdered. Currently, AMBER alerts operate in 85 regional jurisdictions in 34 states.
