History of Amber alert in Timeline
An Amber Alert, also known as a Child Abduction Emergency alert, is a public message disseminated through various channels, like television, radio, and mobile devices, to seek assistance in locating abducted children. Originating in the United States, this system aims to quickly engage the community in the search for missing children, increasing the chances of their safe recovery. The alert typically includes details about the missing child, the suspected abductor, and any vehicle information, encouraging citizens to report relevant sightings or information to law enforcement. The rapid dissemination of information is crucial in these time-sensitive situations.
November 25, 1986: Amber Hagerman's Birth
On November 25, 1986, Amber Rene Hagerman, the namesake of the Amber Alert system, was born.
1993: Polly Klaas Kidnapping
In 1993, Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in Petaluma, California. Hagerman's father called Marc Klaas, Polly's father, after Amber went missing.
February 1996: NCMEC Declined to be part of the 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 Testified In Front of Congress
In June 1996, Donna Williams testified before the United States Congress, advocating for a national sex offender registry. Representative Martin Frost proposed an "Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act."
1998: Child Alert Foundation Created Alert Notification System
In 1998, the Child Alert Foundation created the first fully automated Alert Notification System (ANS) to notify surrounding communities when a child was reported missing or abducted.
October 2000: House Encouraged Amber Plan Implementation
In October 2000, the United States House of Representatives adopted H.Res.605, encouraging communities nationwide to implement the Amber Plan.
October 2001: NCMEC Launched Campaign
In October 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched a campaign to have Amber Alert systems established nationwide.
February 2002: Federal Communications Commission Endorsed
In February 2002, the Federal Communications Commission officially endorsed the Amber Alert system.
July 24, 2002: California Established System
On July 24, 2002, California established an Amber Alert system following the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Runnion.
September 2002: 26 States Had Established Amber Alert Systems
By September 2002, 26 states had established Amber Alert systems covering all or parts of the state.
October 2002: Bush Announced Amber Alert System Changes
At an October 2002 conference, President George W. Bush announced changes to the Amber Alert system, including the development of a national standard.
October 2002: Amber Alert Causes Traffic Congestion in Los Angeles
In October 2002, an Amber alert displayed on freeway signs in Los Angeles caused significant traffic congestion. Subsequently, the California Highway Patrol elected not to display the alerts during rush hour, citing safety concerns.
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 Offered Digital Alerts
In November 2002, America Online (AOL) began offering a service allowing people to sign up for Amber Alert notifications via computer, pager, or cell phone, targeted by ZIP Code.
2002: NCMEC Expanded Role
Following the automation of the Amber Alert with ANS technology created by the Child Alert Foundation, 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 related bill regarding the Amber Alert system became law.
May 26, 2003: AMBER Alert Introduced in Quebec
On May 26, 2003, the AMBER Alert system was introduced in Quebec, with the name adapted in French to Alerte Médiatique But Enfant Recherché.
2003: Criminologist Timothy Griffin reviews abductions between 2003 and 2006
Criminologist Timothy Griffin led a research team in 2003 that reviewed hundreds of abduction cases between 2003 and 2006. His team found that Amber alerts had little apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children.
2004: Scripps Howard Study Reveals Misuse of Amber Alerts in the US
In 2004, a Scripps Howard study of 233 Amber alerts in the United States found that 50% were related to family abductions, 21% were for children who were not abducted at all, and only 30% involved children taken by strangers or unlawfully travelling with adults other than their legal guardians.
May 2005: Queensland Implemented Amber Alerts
In May 2005, the Australian state of Queensland implemented a version of the Amber Alerts.
2005: Operational programs in all fifty states
By 2005, all fifty states had operational Amber Alert programs.
2005: Every local jurisdiction in England and Wales had its own form of alert system
By 2005, every local jurisdiction in England and Wales had its own form of alert system.
May 2006: United States Postal Service Issues 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 chalk pastel drawing by artist Vivienne Flesher of a reunited mother and child, with the text "AMBER ALERT saves missing children".
2006: Criminologist Timothy Griffin reviews abductions between 2003 and 2006
Criminologist Timothy Griffin led a research team that reviewed hundreds of abduction cases between 2003 and 2006. In 2006, the team found that Amber alerts had little apparent role in the eventual return of abducted children.
2006: TV Movie "Amber's Story" 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, which is based on the Amber alert and named after Nurin Jazlin, a missing eight-year-old girl.
2008: AMBER Alert Netherlands Launched
In 2008, AMBER Alert Netherlands was launched.
2008: Texas Implements Blue Alert for Cases of Serious Injury to Police Officers
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 quickly found safe.
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: Comic Book "Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice: A Night Owl Story" Published
In 2009, the comic book "Amber Hagerman Deserves Justice: A Night Owl Story" by Jake Tinsley and Jason Dube was published by Wham Bang Comics. The comic, aimed at young readers, recounts Amber's story and the investigation into her murder.
May 25, 2010: Nationwide Launch of the Child Rescue Alert
On May 25, 2010, the nationwide launch of the Child Rescue Alert, based on the AMBER alert system, was realized in Britain.
2010: CART Program Trained 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.
May 2012: Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert was officially introduced
In May 2012, the Child Rescue Ireland (CRI) Alert was officially introduced.
October 3, 2012: The system was first used in the UK
On October 3, 2012, the system was first used in the UK with regard to missing 5 year-old April Jones in Wales.
2012: California Creates Silver Alert for Missing Elderly People
In 2012, California created the Silver Alert for missing elderly people.
January 1, 2013: Amber Alerts Sent Through Wireless Emergency Alerts
As of January 1, 2013, Amber Alerts are automatically sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program.
July 2013: Concerns Raised Over Timing of New York Child Abduction Alert
In July 2013, a 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.
August 2013: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports recoveries due to Amber Alert
As of August 2013, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that 656 children had been recovered because of the Amber alert program.
2014: Amber Alert Report indicates 186 alerts issued in US
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
Since April 2015, an emergency child abduction alert system "AMBER Alert Slovakia" is available in Slovakia.
May 2016: China Launches Emergency Release Platform for Missing Children
In May 2016, China's Ministry of Public Security announced the launch of the Ministry of Public Security Emergency Release Platform for Children's Missing Information in Beijing, with plans to expand it nationwide. The platform, supported technically by Alibaba Group, sends information about missing children to nearby mobile phones to engage the public in the search.
November 2017: New Zealand Police Launched System
In November 2017, the New Zealand Police launched their own version of the Amber Alert system, integrating it with Facebook news feeds.
2019: MegaFon Develops MegaFon.Poisk Alert System in Russia
In 2019, MegaFon developed its own alert system called MegaFon.Poisk, which is used in all regions of Russia where MegaFon operates. Within half a year, the service aided in the search of over 250 people, with information provided in over 30% of the cases.
2020: Child Suffers Ear Damage from Amber Alert on AirPods Pro
On May 17th, 2020, in Texas, Carlos Gordoa and Ariani Reyes claimed their 12-year-old child, B. Gordoa, suffered a ruptured eardrum and inner ear damage, resulting in permanent hearing loss and tinnitus, when an Amber alert for 14-month-old Edgar Nathaniel Jesus Collins was pushed through his AirPods Pro (1st generation) at an "ear-shattering volume", while his Netflix volume was low.
2021: Dutch Police Proposed to Merge Amber Alerts into Burgernet System
In 2021, Dutch police authorities proposed to merge Amber Alerts into the Burgernet system, but the initiative was blocked by Parliament.
2022: California Creates Feather Alert for Missing Indigenous People
In 2022, California created the "feather alert" for missing Indigenous people.
March 2023: Morocco Develops "Tifli Moukhtafi" Alert System with Meta Platforms
In March 2023, Morocco's General Directorate of National Security, in cooperation with Meta Platforms, developed an Amber Alert-based system named "Tifli Moukhtafi" (meaning 'my child is missing'). The alerts are distributed via SMS and on Meta-owned platforms.
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
March 26, 2024: First Activation of Pronađi me in Serbia
On March 26, 2024, Serbia activated its "Pronađi me" (Find me) AMBER alert system for the first time due to the disappearance of two-year-old Danka Ilić.
2024: Texas Blue Alert Sparks Complaints Due to Timing and Reach
In 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a blue alert at 4:50 a.m. to cell phones across the state, some far from the incident, prompting complaints to the Federal Communications Commission and public criticism.
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