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The AMBER Advocate, Volume 5, Issue 2, September 2011

NCJ Number
236054
Editor(s)
Paul Murphy
Date Published
September 2011
Length
12 pages
Annotation

This newsletter on the AMBER Alert system contains stories on AMBER Alert in Mexico, in Indian Country, and internationally.

Abstract

Top Mexican law enforcement and government officials announced on April 28, 2011, that a national protocol and implementation of "Alerta AMBER" will be put in place for the whole country. The plan will develop a network among law enforcement, government officials, and the media that will immediately notify the public when a child has been abducted. On January 12, 2011, AMBER Alert teamed up with Facebook, which maintains the world's most extensive social network. Facebook has begun posting AMBER Alerts that can be viewed by some 130 million users in the United States and approximately 750 million users worldwide. A case study is presented of how municipal police, FBI agents, and Tribal police cooperated to identify the kidnapper of a child, determine the location where he was keeping the child, and then mount a successful rescue. Another article presents a profile of San Allen, who was hired in 2004 to become Texas' first statewide AMBER Alert Coordinator. As one of the Nation's few "full-time" AMBER Alert coordinators, Allen brings with him to his new position his 15 years of experience at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Another article discusses the lessons learned from the "hacking" of the Iowa AMBER Alert System. The article outlines nine lessons learned pertaining to the security of an online system and ways of maintaining system operations should its computerized elements malfunction for any reason. A variety of AMBER Alert activities are reported for Indian Country and for countries abroad, including Romania, Australia, and Switzerland. Other news on AMBER Alert is also presented.