Tribal Communities to Develop and Implement Amber Alert

The AMBER alert system saves thousands of young children every year. Until now the Tribal nations did not have access to the AMBER Alert system. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice the lack of an Amber Alert system in Tribal communities is about to be a thing of the past.

The U.S. Department of Justice announce today that they will be expanding the Amber Alert tracking System to ten Tribal Sites which will serve as pilot communities for Department of Justices Amber Alert in Indian Country Initiative.

The expansion of the AMBER alert into Indian Country grew out of talks between various Tribal leaders and the Department of Justice. It is essential that all children in the United States are protected by this powerful program.

The term AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. These alerts are put out on the new, throughout various wireless messaging services, on highway sign's, and through other means when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger. The AMBER alerts are very specific. They include a physical description of the child and if possible of the abductor. If they have information about the abductors vehicle such as make and model, color, or license plate number is included. AMBER alerts help community members to be on the lookout for the child in danger.

The selected ten Tribal sites will serve as demonstration sites for other Native American communities to help expand the AMBER Alert program into Indian County. The department of Justice hopes to effectively bridge the gap between Tribal communities and state and regional programs across the country.

This program will allow Children in Tribal Communities the ability to benefit from having an AMBER alert system. Prior to the Department of Justice working with Tribal communities their was alert system for missing children.

According to a press release from the Department of Justice the Ten Tribal Communities that were chosen are: "the Acoma, Hopi, Laguna and Zuni Pueblo communities; the Choctaw Nation; the Crow Nation; the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; the Gila River Indian Community; the Navajo Nation; the Northern Arapaho Tribe; the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community; the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska; and the Yakama Nation."

Hopefully the implementation of the AMBER Alert Systm in the Tribal Communities will bring kidnapped children in these communities home sooner.

Information Courtesy Of:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-14-2007/0004663145&EDATE=