Bulletin Reports

AMBER Alert Best Practices

The AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement organizations, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the communications industry. It provides timely information regarding child abductions. The intent is to broadcast an urgent news bulletin over the airwaves to enlist public assistance in locating a kidnapped child and capturing the alleged perpetrator. Attendees at a federally sponsored national AMBER Alert conference identified practices that have improved the ability to recover missing and abducted children. A report has been prepared that provides an overview of the conference discussions and the experience and knowledge gained. The guide addresses the role of law enforcement agencies, partnerships with media, the role of public information officers, effective messaging strategies, the role of the AMBER Alert coordinator, and improvements for existing AMBER Alert systems. Interstate networking, community awareness strategies, and training are among the ideas discussed. Additional information on this report is located at https://www.ncjrs.gov, NCJ 232271.