OSP: AMBER Alert program not hit by shutdown
Following mainstream and social media reports that the AMBER Alert System is affected by the shutdown of federal government services, Oregon State Police joined other AMBER Alert coordinators in reminding the public that their system is not affected and is ready to help recover an abducted child.
On Monday, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent a nationwide reminder that the AMBER Alert program has not been impacted by the government shutdown. NCMEC will continue to provide operational support for the network of local AMBER Alert plans that manages the distribution of alerts within their geographical area.
The Huffington Post reported earlier Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice’s information Website on the AMBER Alert program was off-line due to the shutdown, but the system itself was up and running. It later reported a staff member was taken off furlough to get the site (http://www.amberalert.gov/) up and running again.
In November 2002, the State of Oregon announced implementation of a statewide AMBER Alert Plan.
The plan is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies and local broadcasters to send an emergency alert to the public when a child has been abducted and it is believed the child’s life is in danger.
Since implementation of Oregon’s AMBER Alert Plan, there have been 20 activations helping to safely recover 22 children.
You can sign up to receive AMBER Alerts in Oregon by going to www.amberalert.com.
To read the message from NCMEC:
http://blog.missingkids.com/post/63386961762/amber-alert-not-impacted-by-shutdown
To learn more about Oregon’s AMBER Alert program:
