AMBER alert 101

The AMBER alert is a warning system that informs the public of abducted children believed to be in danger. Every province in Canada has an AMBER alert program.

The system is only activated during the most serious, time-critical child abduction cases. It is not usually used for cases of parental abduction, unless the situation is life-threatening.

The program is named after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted and brutally murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996. The agency that oversees the program has created the acronym for "America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response."

Police agencies from each province have established protocols to provide broadcasters with information on confirmed abductions of children under the age of 18. The alert is issued when police have enough details to provide about the abduction.

The alert can only be activated by authorized users. For example, in Ontario, alert requests can only be made by OPP officers holding the rank of inspector or above. Requests are sent to OPP headquarters, and the GHQ 24-hour duty office ensures that they fit AMBER alert criteria. The office contacts the media and is responsible for cancelling alerts.

Highway message signs inform motorists of the alert and provide details. Television stations and radio stations interrupt regular broadcasts to give details such as descriptions of suspects, victims, or vehicles involved.

The system is activated in the area where authorities believe the child will most likely be located, and is usually active for five hours or less.

Members of the public should watch for the child, suspect or vehicle described in the alert, and immediately inform police of any sightings.

In October 2010, Ontario’s AMBER Alert program logged on to Facebook, in an attempt to reach millions of the site’s users to find abducted children. You can log onto the page at www.facebook.com/AMBERalertON.

Similar pages have also been created for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.