History of Amber alert in Timeline
An Amber Alert, or Child Abduction Emergency alert, is a system used to disseminate information about missing children to the public in order to aid in their safe recovery. Originating in the United States, the Amber Alert system leverages various media channels, including radio, television, and electronic billboards, to quickly notify the public about a child abduction. The alerts typically include details about the missing child, the suspected abductor, and any relevant vehicle information. By engaging the community, Amber Alerts aim to increase the chances of locating and rescuing abducted children quickly and safely.
November 25, 1986: Amber Hagerman's Birth
On November 25, 1986, Amber Rene Hagerman was born. She was later abducted and murdered, leading to the creation of the Amber Alert system.
1993: Polly Klaas Kidnapping and Murder
In 1993, Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in Petaluma, California. Upon hearing the news of Amber Hagerman's abduction, her father contacted Marc Klaas, Polly's father, for support and guidance.
January 17, 1996: Amber Hagerman Found Murdered
On January 17, 1996, Amber Rene Hagerman, the namesake of the Amber Alert system, was found murdered after being abducted.
February 1996: NCMEC Declines to Be Part of Amber Alert Program
In February 1996, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children declined to be a part of the Amber alert program.
June 1996: Williams Testifies Before Congress
In June 1996, Amber Hagerman's mother, Donna Williams, testified before the United States Congress, urging legislators to create a nationwide registry of sex offenders, leading to Congressman Martin Frost proposing an "Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act".
1998: Child Alert Foundation Creates Automated Alert System
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. Alerts were distributed to radio stations, television stations, law enforcement, newspapers, and support organizations via pagers, faxes, emails, and cell phones, and posted on the Internet.
October 2000: House of Representatives 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 launched a campaign to have Amber alert systems established nationwide, reversing its initial decision in February 1996 not to participate in the program.
February 2002: Federal Communications Commission Endorses the System
In February 2002, the Federal Communications Commission officially endorsed the Amber Alert system.
July 24, 2002: California Establishes Amber Alert System
On July 24, 2002, California established an Amber alert system following the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Runnion. In its first month, California issued 13 Amber alerts, with 12 children recovered safely.
September 2002: 26 States Establish Amber Alert Systems
By September 2002, 26 states had established Amber alert systems that covered all or parts of the state.
October 2002: Traffic Congestion Due to Amber Alert on Freeway Signs
In Los Angeles, in October 2002, an Amber alert displayed on area freeway signs caused significant traffic congestion, leading the California Highway Patrol to limit their display during rush hour.
October 2002: Federal Legislation Proposed for Amber Alert Coordination
In October 2002, a bipartisan group of US Senators proposed legislation to name an Amber alert coordinator and provide federal matching grants for states to establish programs and purchase equipment, such as electronic highway signs. President George W. Bush announced changes to the Amber alert system, including the development of a national standard for issuing alerts, at an October 2002 conference.
November 14, 2002: First System in the UK Created in Sussex
On November 14, 2002, the first system in the UK of this kind was created in Sussex.
November 2002: America Online Offers Digital Amber Alerts
In November 2002, America Online (AOL) began offering a service allowing people to sign up to receive Amber alert notifications via computer, pager, or cell phone, targeted to specific geographic regions based on ZIP Code.
2002: NCMEC Expands Role in Promoting 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 bill related to the Amber Alert system became law in the United States.
May 26, 2003: AMBER Alert Introduced in Quebec
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 led by criminologist Timothy Griffin reviewed hundreds of abduction cases and found that Amber alerts had little apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children.
2004: Scripps Howard Study on Amber Alert Usage
In 2004, a Scripps Howard study of 233 Amber alerts in the United States found that 50% were family abductions, 21% were for children who were lost, ran away, or involved in family misunderstandings, and 30% involved children taken by strangers or unlawfully traveling with adults other than legal guardians.
May 2005: Queensland Implements Amber Alerts
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.
2005: Every Local Jurisdiction in England and Wales Has Its Own Alert System
By 2005, every local jurisdiction in England and Wales had its own form of alert system.
February 2006: France Launches 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) with the help of most media and railroad and motorway companies.
May 2006: USPS Issues Postage Stamp Commemorating Amber Alerts
In May 2006, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp commemorating Amber alerts. The 39-cent stamp features a drawing of a reunited mother and child.
2006: Research Team Review of 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 apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children.
2006: Amber's Story TV Movie Broadcast on Lifetime
In 2006, a TV movie, 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 Implements Nurin Alert
In September 2007, Malaysia implemented the Nurin Alert, named after a missing eight-year-old girl, Nurin Jazlin, and based on the Amber alert.
2008: AMBER Alert Netherlands Launched
In 2008, AMBER Alert Netherlands was launched.
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 for a missing 4-year-old boy in Rotterdam, who was found safe after being recognized by someone who saw his picture on an electronic billboard in a fast food restaurant.
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.
May 25, 2010: Nationwide Launch of Child Rescue Alert in Britain
On May 25, 2010, the Child Rescue Alert, based on the AMBER alert system, was launched nationwide in Britain.
2010: CART Program assist Local Agencies
As of 2010, the United States Department of Justice's Child Abduction Response Teams (CART) program, designed to assist local agencies in missing children's cases, had trained 225 response teams in 43 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Canada.
May 2012: Child Rescue Ireland Alert Introduced
In May 2012, the Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert was officially introduced, and the first AMBER alert was issued for two missing boys, Eoghan and Ruairí Chada.
October 3, 2012: First Use of UK Child Rescue Alert
On October 3, 2012, the UK's Child Rescue Alert system was first used in the case of 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 Sent Through Wireless Emergency Alerts Program
As of January 1, 2013, Amber Alerts are automatically sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program in the United States.
July 2013: Concerns Over Wireless Emergency Alerts System
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.
2014: Amber Alert Report
According to the 2014 Amber Alert Report, 186 Amber alerts were issued in the US, involving 239 children – 60 of whom were taken by strangers or people other than their legal guardians.
April 2015: AMBER Alert Slovakia Available
In April 2015, the emergency child abduction alert system "AMBER Alert Slovakia" became available in Slovakia.
May 2016: China Launches Missing Children Emergency Release Platform
In May 2016, China's Ministry of Public Security announced the Ministry of Public Security Emergency Release Platform for Children's Missing Information in Beijing. The platform, supported by Alibaba Group, sends information about missing children confirmed by police to mobile phones in the area of disappearance, to mobilize the public to help find them.
November 2017: New Zealand Police Launches Amber Alert System
In November 2017, the New Zealand Police launched their own version of the Amber Alert system, which inserts information about missing individuals into the news feeds of Facebook users in the target area.
December 2017: Abduction of Emilia Benavides
In December 2017, Emilia Benavides was abducted, which later inspired the creation of Ecuador's Emilia Alert.
2018: Alert Ready Introduces Amber Alerts on Mobile Devices
In 2018, Alert Ready in Canada introduced Amber alerts on supported mobile devices, disrupting programming on radio, television, and television providers. The alerts play a distinct sound and display a link for more information, and cannot be deactivated, even on silent or "Do Not Disturb" modes, leading to controversy and complaints.
2019: Megafon Develops MegaFon.Poisk Alert System
In 2019, Megafon developed MegaFon.Poisk alert system, used in all regions of Russia where Megafon is represented for searches of children and adults. The service has been used for searching of more than 250 people and in more than 30% of situations people called back with information about a lost person.
2021: Dutch Police Proposal to Merge Amber Alerts Blocked
In 2021, a proposal by Dutch police authorities to merge Amber alerts into the Burgernet system was blocked by Parliament, but police continue to send alerts through both Burgernet and social media.
2022: California Created the Feather Alert
In 2022, California created the "feather alert" for missing Indigenous people.
October 25, 2023: AMBER Alert System Launched in Serbia
On October 25, 2023, the AMBER alert system, called "Pronađi me" (transl. Find me), started operating in Serbia.
December 2023: Amber Alert Program Recovered 1,186 Children
As of December 2023, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said 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, the AMBER alert system in Serbia was first activated due to the disappearance of two-year-old girl, Danka Ilić, in Banjsko Polje in Bor.
2024: Complaints over Blue Alert in Texas
In 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a blue alert at 4:50 a.m. to cell phones across the state. The alert prompted thousands of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission, along with public expressions of disbelief.
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