Full History Of Amber alert In Timeline From 1986

November 25, 1986: Amber Hagerman Born

On November 25, 1986, Amber Rene Hagerman, the namesake of the Amber Alert system, was born. Her abduction and murder led to the creation of the alert system.

1993: Polly Klaas Kidnapped and Murdered

In 1993, Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in Petaluma, California. Upon hearing of Amber Hagerman's disappearance, Amber's father contacted Marc Klaas, Polly's father, for support.

January 15, 1996: Amber Hagerman Abducted

On January 15, 1996, nine-year-old Amber Rene Hagerman was abducted while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas. A neighbor witnessed the abduction and called 911.

January 17, 1996: Amber Hagerman Found Murdered

On January 17, 1996, Amber Rene Hagerman, for whom the Amber Alert system is named, was found murdered after being abducted. This tragic event spurred the creation of the Amber Alert system.

February 1996: NCMEC Declined to be Part of Amber Alert Program

In February 1996, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) declined to be a part of the Amber alert program.

June 1996: Williams Testified in Front of U.S. Congress

In June 1996, Donna Williams testified in front of the U.S. Congress, urging legislators to create a nationwide registry of sex offenders. Representative Martin Frost proposed an "Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act."

July 1996: First Amber Alert Launched

In July 1996, C.J. Wheeler, a reporter from radio station KRLD, approached the Dallas police chief with Bruce Seybert's ideas on finding missing children, launching the first ever Amber Alert.

1998: Child Alert Foundation Created ANS

In 1998, the Child Alert Foundation created the first fully automated Alert Notification System (ANS) to notify communities when a child was reported missing or abducted. This system sent alerts to various media and law enforcement agencies via multiple channels.

October 2000: House of Representatives Encouraged Implementation

In October 2000, the United States House of Representatives adopted H.Res.605, which encouraged communities nationwide to implement the Amber Plan.

October 2001: NCMEC Launched Campaign for Nationwide Systems

In October 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched a campaign to have Amber alert systems established nationwide.

February 2002: FCC Officially Endorsed the System

In February 2002, the Federal Communications Commission officially endorsed the Amber Alert system.

July 24, 2002: California Established Amber Alert System

On July 24, 2002, prompted by the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Runnion, California established an Amber alert system.

September 2002: Senators Proposed Legislation to Name Amber Alert Coordinator

By September 2002, 26 states had established Amber alert systems. A bipartisan group of US Senators proposed legislation to name an Amber alert coordinator in the U.S. Justice Department.

October 2002: President Bush Announced Changes to Amber Alert System

At an October 2002 conference, President George W. Bush announced changes to the Amber Alert system, including the development of a national standard for issuing Amber Alerts.

October 2002: Los Angeles Amber Alert Causes Traffic Congestion

In Los Angeles, an Amber alert issued in October 2002 that was displayed on area freeway signs caused significant traffic congestion.

November 14, 2002: First System in the UK Created in Sussex

On November 14, 2002, the first Amber Alert-like system in the UK was created in Sussex, which paved the way for similar systems in Surrey and Hampshire.

November 2002: America Online Offered Digital Alerts

In November 2002, America Online began a service allowing people to sign up to receive Amber Alert notifications via computer, pager, or cell phone, targeted to specific geographic regions.

December 2002: Alberta Launched Province-Wide System

In December 2002, Alberta launched the first province-wide Amber Alert system in Canada, committing CA$1 million to expanding its emergency warning system.

2002: NCMEC Promoted Amber Alert

Following the automation of the Amber alert with ANS technology, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) expanded its role in 2002 to promote the Amber alert.

April 2003: Related Bill Became Law

In April 2003, a bill related to the Amber Alert system finally became law, furthering efforts to standardize and support the program.

May 26, 2003: Quebec Introduced Amber Alert Program

On May 26, 2003, the Amber Alert program was introduced in Quebec, with the name adapted in French to "Alerte Médiatique But Enfant Recherché."

2003: Research Team Review of Abduction Cases

Between 2003 and 2006, a research team reviewed hundreds of abduction cases and found that Amber alerts actually had little apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children.

May 2004: Saskatchewan Only Province Without System

By May 2004, Saskatchewan was the only province in Canada that had not yet established an Amber Alert system. However, within the next year, the program was in use throughout the country.

2004: Scripps Howard Study of Amber Alerts in the United States

In 2004, a Scripps Howard study of the 233 Amber alerts in the United States found that most issued alerts did not meet the Department of Justice's criteria.

May 2005: Queensland Implemented Version of Amber Alerts

In May 2005, the Australian state of Queensland implemented a version of the Amber Alert system.

2005: All Fifty States Had Operational Programs

By 2005, all fifty states in the United States had operational Amber Alert programs, and the program operated across state and jurisdictional boundaries.

2005: Every Local Jurisdiction in England and Wales Had Alert System

By 2005, every local jurisdiction in England and Wales had its own form of alert system.

February 2006: France Launched Alerte-Enlèvement

In February 2006, France's Justice ministry launched an apparatus based on the AMBER Alerts, named Alerte-Enlèvement (abduction alert) or Dispositif Alerte-Enlèvement (abduction alert apparatus).

May 2006: USPS Issues Amber Alert Postage Stamp

In May 2006, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp commemorating Amber alerts.

2006: Research Team Review of Abduction Cases

Between 2003 and 2006, a research team reviewed hundreds of abduction cases and found that Amber alerts actually had little apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children.

2006: Amber's Story TV Movie Broadcast

In 2006, a TV movie, Amber's Story, was broadcast on Lifetime, starring Elisabeth Röhm and Sophie Hough.

April 1, 2007: Amber Alert System Active in North West England

On April 1, 2007, the AMBER alert system became active in North West England. Plans were in place to expand it across the rest of Britain.

September 2007: Malaysia Implements Nurin Alert

In September 2007, Malaysia implemented the Nurin Alert, which is based on the Amber alert. It is named after a missing eight-year-old girl, Nurin Jazlin.

2008: AMBER Alert Netherlands Launched

AMBER Alert Netherlands was launched in 2008.

2008: Texas Implemented the "Blue Alert"

Since 2008, Texas has implemented the "blue alert" for suspected cases of serious injury to police officers.

February 14, 2009: First Dutch AMBER Alert Issued

On February 14, 2009, the first Dutch AMBER Alert was issued when a 4-year-old boy went missing in Rotterdam. He was quickly found safe after recognition from an electronic billboard.

April 2009: AMBER Alert System Announced in Ireland

In April 2009, it was announced that an AMBER alert system would be set up in Ireland.

2009: Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice: A Night Owl Story Comic Book Published

In 2009, a comic book entitled Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice: A Night Owl Story was published by Wham Bang Comics.

May 25, 2010: Nationwide Launch of Child Rescue Alert in Britain

On May 25, 2010, Britain realized its nationwide launch of the Child Rescue Alert, based on the AMBER alert system.

2010: CART Program Trained Response Teams

As of 2010, 225 Child Abduction Response Teams (CART) have been trained in 43 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Canada. CART assists local agencies in missing children's cases, even without an Amber alert, and helps recover endangered runaways under 18.

April 28, 2011: Mexico Joined International Efforts

On April 28, 2011, Mexico officially joined international efforts to spread the use of the Amber Alert system at an official launch ceremony.

May 2012: Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert Officially Introduced

In May 2012, the Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert was officially introduced, and Ireland's first AMBER alert was issued upon the disappearance of Eoghan and Ruairí Chada.

October 3, 2012: First Use of Child Rescue Alert in the UK

On October 3, 2012, the Child Rescue Alert system was first used in the UK concerning missing 5-year-old April Jones in Wales.

2012: California Created the "Silver Alert"

In 2012, California created the "silver alert" for missing elderly people.

January 1, 2013: Amber Alerts Automatically Sent Through WEA

As of January 1, 2013, Amber Alerts are automatically sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program.

July 2013: Concerns over Wireless Emergency Alerts Timing

The timing of a July 2013 New York child abduction alert sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts system at 4 a.m. raised concerns that many cellphone users would disable WEA alerts.

2013: West Virginia Passed Skylar's Law

In 2013, West Virginia passed Skylar's Law to eliminate the first criterion for triggering an Amber Alert, which addressed issues with parental abductions not necessarily involving serious risk.

2013: AMBER Alert Europe Foundation Founded

In 2013, the AMBER Alert Europe Foundation was founded to improve cross-border coordination and cooperation in the search for missing children.

2014: Amber Alert Report

According to the 2014 Amber Alert Report, 186 Amber alerts were issued in the US, involving 239 children – 60 who were taken by strangers or people other than their legal guardians.

April 2015: Amber Alert System Launched in Slovakia

Since April 2015, an emergency child abduction alert system "AMBER Alert Slovakia" is available in Slovakia. (www.amberalert.sk)

May 2016: China Announced Emergency Release Platform

On 15 May 2016, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China announced the Ministry of Public Security Emergency Release Platform for Children's Missing Information in Beijing.

June 2017: Other Australian States Joined Facebook's Amber Alert Program

In June 2017, other Australian states joined Queensland in Facebook's Amber Alert program.

November 2017: New Zealand Police Launched System

In November 2017, the New Zealand Police launched their own version of the Amber Alert system, integrating information about missing individuals into Facebook news feeds in target areas.

December 2017: Emilia Benavides Abduction

In December 2017, Emilia Benavides was abducted, leading to the future creation of Ecuador's Emilia alert.

2018: Alert Ready Introduced Alerts on Mobile Devices

In 2018, Alert Ready in Canada introduced Amber Alerts on supported mobile devices, using a distinct sound, but it provoked controversy because these alerts cannot be deactivated, even in silent mode.

2018: Ecuador Introduces Emilia Alert

In 2018, Ecuador's Department of Security introduced the Emilia alert, which is their version of the Amber alert. It was named after Emilia Benavides.

2019: Megafon Develops MegaFon.Poisk Alert System

In 2019, Megafon developed its own alert system called MegaFon.Poisk. It is oriented for all regions of Russia where MegaFon is represented and is used for searches of children and adults as well.

September 2021: Amber Alert Launched in Ukraine

On 22 September 2021, Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, the National Police of Ukraine and Facebook announced the launch of AMBER alert in Ukraine.

2021: Merge into Burgernet System Proposed

In 2021, Dutch police authorities proposed to merge Amber alerts into the Burgernet system, but the Parliament blocked the initiative.

2022: California Created the "Feather Alert"

In 2022, California created the "feather alert" for missing Indigenous people.

March 2023: Morocco Develops "Tifli Moukhtafi" Alert System

In March 2023, Morocco developed the "Tifli Moukhtafi" alert system in cooperation with Meta Platforms, which is based on the Amber Alert.

October 25, 2023: Amber Alert System Started Operating in Serbia

On October 25, 2023, the Amber Alert system, called "Pronađi me" (transl. Find me) started operating in Serbia.

December 2023: 1,186 Children Recovered Due to Amber Alert Program

As of December 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that 1,186 children were recovered because of the Amber alert program.

March 26, 2024: Amber Alert System First Activated

On March 26, 2024 the Amber Alert system was first activated due to the disappearance of a two-year-old girl, Danka Ilić, in Banjsko Polje in Bor.

2024: Texas Blue Alert Prompts Complaints

In 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a blue alert at 4:50 a.m. to cell phones across the state, which prompted thousands of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.

History of Amber alert in Timeline