History of Amber alert in Timeline
An Amber Alert, or Child Abduction Emergency alert, is a public message broadcast through various channels to seek assistance in locating abducted children. Originating in the United States, the system is designed to rapidly disseminate information about a missing child to the public, enlisting their aid in the child's safe recovery. The alert system utilizes various media platforms to reach a wide audience, increasing the chances of identifying and rescuing the child.
November 25, 1986: Amber Hagerman's Birth
On November 25, 1986, Amber Rene Hagerman, the girl whose abduction and murder inspired the Amber Alert system, was born.
1993: Polly Klaas Kidnapping and Murder
In 1993, Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in Petaluma, California, which led to her father, Marc Klaas, to support and advocate for Amber Hagerman's case after her abduction.
January 17, 1996: Amber Hagerman Murder
On January 17, 1996, Amber Rene Hagerman, the namesake of the Amber Alert system, was found murdered after being abducted. This tragic event served as the impetus for the creation of the Amber Alert system.
February 1996: NCMEC Declines to be a part of the 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: Congressional Testimony and Proposed Legislation
In June 1996, Amber Hagerman's mother, Donna Williams, testified before the U.S. Congress, which led to Representative Martin Frost proposing the "Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act" to create a national sex offender registry.
1998: Child Alert Foundation Automates Alert Notification System
In 1998, the Child Alert Foundation created the first fully automated Alert Notification System (ANS) to notify communities about missing or abducted children, including radio and television stations, law enforcement, and the public, via various communication methods.
October 2000: House Resolution Encourages Amber Plan 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 Launches Campaign for Nationwide Amber Alert Systems
In October 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) launched a campaign to establish Amber alert systems nationwide.
February 2002: FCC Endorses Amber Alert System
In February 2002, the Federal Communications Commission officially endorsed the Amber alert system.
July 24, 2002: California Establishes Amber Alert System
Prompted by the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Runnion, California established an Amber alert system on July 24, 2002.
October 2002: President Bush Announces Changes to Amber Alert System
At an October 2002 conference on missing, exploited, and runaway children, President George W. Bush announced changes to the Amber Alert system, including the development of a national standard for issuing Amber Alerts.
October 2002: Traffic Congestion Caused by Amber Alert
In October 2002, in Los Angeles, an Amber alert displayed on freeway signs caused significant traffic congestion. Consequently, the California Highway Patrol decided not to display alerts during rush hour for safety.
November 14, 2002: First UK Alert System Created in Sussex
The first system in the UK of this kind was created in Sussex on November 14, 2002.
November 2002: Digital Amber Alerts Offered by AOL
In November 2002, America Online (AOL) began offering digital Amber alerts, allowing people to sign up to receive notifications via computer, pager, or cell phone, targeted to specific geographic regions.
2002: NCMEC Promotes 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 Becomes Law
In April 2003, a related bill to the proposed legislation in September of 2002 finally became law, further solidifying the Amber Alert system.
May 26, 2003: Quebec Introduces AMBER Alert
On May 26, 2003, the AMBER Alert program was introduced in Quebec, with the French adaptation of the name being Alerte Médiatique But Enfant Recherché.
2003: Research Team Reviewed Abduction Cases
Between 2003 and 2006, a research team led by criminologist Timothy Griffin reviewed hundreds of abduction cases and found that Amber alerts had little impact on the return of abducted children. The alerts were "successful" in mundane abductions.
2004: Scripps Howard Study on Amber Alerts
In 2004, a Scripps Howard study revealed that many Amber Alerts issued in the US did not meet the Department of Justice's criteria. 50% were family abductions, and 48 were for children not abducted but lost or runaways. Only 30% of the 233 alerts were for children abducted by strangers.
May 2005: Queensland Implements Amber Alert Version
In May 2005, the Australian state of Queensland implemented a version of the Amber Alert system.
2005: All Fifty States Have Operational Programs
By 2005, all fifty states in the United States had operational Amber Alert programs, allowing the program to operate across state and jurisdictional boundaries.
2005: Every Local Jurisdiction in England and Wales Had Its Own Alert System
By 2005, every local jurisdiction in England and Wales had its own form of alert system.
May 2006: USPS Issued Postage Stamp Commemorating Amber Alerts
In May 2006, the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a 39-cent postage stamp to commemorate Amber Alerts. The stamp featured a drawing of a reunited mother and child and the text "AMBER ALERT saves missing children."
2006: Research Team Reviewed Abduction Cases
Between 2003 and 2006, a research team led by criminologist Timothy Griffin reviewed hundreds of abduction cases and found that Amber alerts had little impact on the return of abducted children. The alerts were "successful" in mundane abductions.
2006: TV Movie: Amber's Story
In 2006, a TV movie titled "Amber's Story", starring Elisabeth Röhm and Sophie Hough, was broadcast on Lifetime.
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.
September 2007: Malaysia Implemented Nurin Alert
In September 2007, Malaysia implemented the Nurin Alert, which is based on the Amber Alert system. The Nurin Alert was named after Nurin Jazlin, a missing eight-year-old girl.
2008: AMBER Alert Netherlands Launched
AMBER Alert Netherlands was launched in 2008.
2008: Texas Implemented Blue Alert
Since 2008, Texas has implemented the "blue alert" system, which is used 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 for a missing 4-year-old boy, who was quickly found safe due to the alert.
April 2009: Announcement of AMBER Alert System in Ireland
In April 2009, it was announced that an AMBER Alert system would be set up in Ireland.
2009: Amber Hagerman Comic Book Published
In 2009, Wham Bang Comics published "Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice: A Night Owl Story", a comic book by Jake Tinsley and Jason Dube about Amber's story, her murder investigation, and the effect of her death. It promoted the reopened investigation into her murder.
May 25, 2010: Nationwide Launch of Child Rescue Alert in Britain
On May 25, 2010, the nationwide Child Rescue Alert, based on the AMBER Alert system, was launched in Britain.
2010: CART Program Expansion
As of 2010, the Child Abduction Response Teams (CART) program, developed by the United States Department of Justice, had trained 225 response teams across 43 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Canada to assist local agencies in missing children's cases, regardless of Amber Alert eligibility.
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 for two missing boys.
October 3, 2012: First Use of the Child Rescue Alert System in the UK
On October 3, 2012, the Child Rescue Alert system was first used in the UK in response to the disappearance of 5 year-old April Jones in Wales.
2012: California Created Silver Alert
In 2012, California established the "silver alert" system, designed to aid in locating missing elderly individuals.
January 1, 2013: Amber Alerts Sent Through Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
As of January 1, 2013, Amber Alerts are automatically sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program.
July 2013: Concerns over WEA Alert Timing
In July 2013, a New York child abduction alert sent at 4 a.m. via the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system raised concerns that many cellphone users might disable WEA alerts due to the inconvenient timing.
2014: 2014 Amber Alert Report
According to the 2014 Amber Alert Report, 186 Amber alerts were issued in the US, involving 239 children with 60 taken by strangers or people other than their legal guardians.
April 2015: AMBER Alert Slovakia Available
Since April 2015, the emergency child abduction alert system "AMBER Alert Slovakia" is available in Slovakia.
May 2016: China Announces Emergency Release Platform for Missing Children's Information
On May 15, 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, which was soon rolled out to the rest of the country.
November 2017: New Zealand Launches Amber Alert System
In November 2017, the New Zealand Police launched their own version of the Amber Alert system, integrating it with Facebook and news media organizations.
2019: Megafon Developed Alert System in Russia
In 2019, Megafon developed its alert system called MegaFon.Poisk for searching missing children and adults across Russia, where Megafon operates. In less than six months, the service aided in searching over 250 people, with information received in over 30% of cases.
2021: Proposal to Merge Amber Alerts into Burgernet Blocked
In 2021, Dutch police authorities proposed merging Amber alerts into the Burgernet system, but the initiative was blocked by Parliament.
2022: California Created Feather Alert
In 2022, California introduced the "feather alert" system, aimed at locating missing Indigenous people.
March 2023: Morocco Developed "Tifli Moukhtafi" System
In March 2023, Morocco's General Directorate of National Security, in cooperation with Meta Platforms, developed a system based on the Amber Alert called "Tifli Moukhtafi" (meaning 'my child is missing'). These alerts are distributed via SMS and Meta's platforms.
October 25, 2023: AMBER Alert System Starts Operating in Serbia
On October 25, 2023, the AMBER Alert system, called "Pronađi me" (transl. Find me), started operating in Serbia.
December 2023: Recovered Children 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: First Activation of AMBER Alert in Serbia
On March 26, 2024, Serbia's AMBER alert system was first activated due to the disappearance of two-year-old girl, Danka Ilić, in Banjsko Polje in Bor.
2024: Texas Blue Alert Complaints
In 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a blue alert at 4:50 a.m. to cell phones across the state, prompting thousands of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission because the alert was sent far from the incident and woke many people up.
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