Upon visiting the U.S. government’s AMBER Alert website, the first thing you’ll see is two links. The first of which points to the National Sex Offender Public Registry dedicated to Dru Sjodin, a college student who was kidnapped and murdered by a registered tier III sex offender in 2003. The registry was set up in 2006 after legislation dubbed “Dru’s Law” was passed.
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Because I feel it is so important, I’ve decided to post another article on the Amber Alert program, this time focusing on what’s called the Amber Alert Child ID Kit.
The Kit is not physical in the sense of something you can hold in your hand, at least not all of it. Actually, the kit is USB device, loaded with a software program that was developed to make it easy for parents and guardians to use.
In the event of an emergency, you simply present the USB device to a law enforcement agent and provide them with the password so they can quickly start the process for issuing an Amber Alert.
The process begins when local law enforcement is notified that a child has been abducted. They verify that the abduction meets AMBER Alert criteria. If it does, they will issue an actual AMBER Alert and provides the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with relevant information to include in the outgoing Alert.
AMBER Alert designed and developed the software using their in-depth experience with the requirements of law enforcement agencies, and by evaluating other ID Kits on the market. Kingston Technology, the worlds leading supplier of memory products, provides the USB device (hardware) for the Child ID Kit.
No one is suggesting that your child will be abducted, go missing or get lost. The possibility exists, however, since “children run a mile a second.” The software was created primarily for emergency situations where time is of the essence, and the more prepared you are (before the fact), the faster law enforcement can proceed with finding your child (after the fact).
The Kingston USB device is only 2.5″ long making it very easy to attach to your key chain to carry with you or keep in a safe place. Also, the device is password protected and encrypted, so if you lose it, no one can access that information without your password and there are no “back doors.” If you forget your password, the Child ID Kit has to be reset and you’ll loose all the information previously stored on it. Hence, it is highly recommended that you remember the password for the Child ID Kit.
Again, when/ if you find yourself in an emergency, you should give the Child ID Kit with the password to the police. The police will then use the information for their investigation and attempt to issue an AMBER Alert.
According to Amber Alert,
“With the Child ID Kit you can easily keep [an] old photo and simply add a newer one, at the same time update the information. Some organizations offer similar devices to the AMBER Alert.com Child ID Kit, for example they will give you an option to send information over the internet (unsecure).
You will need a personal or laptop computer that runs Microsoft Windows, and has an open USB port — these are quite common on most recent computers. Just insert the Child ID Kit (i.e., the USB device) into the port and wait for the software to launch automatically. There is no need to install any software, nor is any internet connection needed. The Child ID Kit has a memory of 512MB, which is large enough to hold up to 100 photos of your child!
Children grow pretty fast, so they recommend you update your child’s information and photos either every six months or once a year on your child’s birthday. And, for those who want to take matters a step further: Under the heading “Support,” they provide ideas that may help you find where to fingerprint, scan or even get DNA samples of your child in your local area!
And, of course, if you’d like to read more, we’ve got more information on the Wireless Amber Alert service provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Thanks for caring!
Upon visiting the U.S. government’s AMBER Alert website, the first thing you’ll see is two links. The first of which points to the National Sex Offender Public Registry dedicated to Dru Sjodin, a college student who was kidnapped and murdered by a registered tier III sex offender in 2003. The registry was set up in 2006 after legislation dubbed “Dru’s Law” was passed.
Why it took the victimization of a 22 year-old woman to inspire a program that revolves around sex crimes committed against children is a good question, but beside the point. And we don’t want to falsely label these convicted sex offenders as suspects in AMBER Alert cases, but there is a reason the AMBER program and the National Sex Offender Public Registry are linked to each other.
Registration provides a system for tracking sex offenders following their release into the community. If a sexually violent crime occurs or a child is molested, the information available to law enforcement about sex offenders who may have been present in the area could help to identify the perpetrator and solve the crime. If a particular released sex offender is suspected in such a crime, knowledge of the sex offender’s whereabouts through the registry could help law enforcement make a quick apprehension.
The National Sex Offender Public Registry operates under the guidelines of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (“the Wetterling Act”), focusing on information about people convicted of offenses involving sexual molestation or sexual exploitation of children, and people convicted of rape and rape-like offenses (regardless of the age of the victim), respectively.
According to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA):
The offenses for which registration is required under the SORNA standards include any “specified offense against a minor” as defined in section 111(7). The SORNA § 111(7) definition of specified offense against a minor covers any offense against a minor.i.e., a person under the age of 18, as provided in section 111(14). That involves any of the following:
KIDNAPPING OR FALSE IMPRISONMENT OF A MINOR (§ 111(7)(A)-(B)): These clauses cover “[a]n offense (unless committed by a parent or guardian) involving kidnapping [of a minor]” and “[a]n offense (unless committed by a parent or guardian) involving false imprisonment [of a minor].” The relevant offenses are those whose gravamen is abduction or unlawful restraint of a person, which go by different names in different jurisdictions, such as “kidnapping,” “criminal restraint,” or “false imprisonment.” Jurisdictions can implement the offense coverage requirement of these clauses by requiring registration for persons convicted of offenses of this type (however designated) whose victims were below the age of 18. It is left to jurisdictions’ discretion under these clauses whether registration should be required for such offenses in cases where the offender is a parent or guardian of the victim.
SOLICITATION OF A MINOR TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL CONDUCT (§ 111(7)(C)): This clause covers “[s]olicitation [of a minor] to engage in sexual conduct.” “Solicitation” under this clause and other SORNA provisions that use the term should be understood broadly to include any direction, request, enticement, persuasion, or encouragement of a minor to engage in sexual conduct. “Sexual conduct” should be understood to refer to any sexual activity involving physical contact. (See the discussion later in this list of “criminal sexual conduct” under section 111(7)(H).) Hence, jurisdictions can implement the offense coverage requirement under this clause by requiring registration, in cases where the victim was below the age of 18, based on:
- any conviction for an offense involving solicitation of the victim under a general attempt or solicitation provision, where the elements of the object offense include sexual activity involving physical contact, and
- any conviction for an offense involving solicitation of the victim under any provision defining a particular crime whose elements include soliciting or attempting to engage in sexual activity involving physical contact.
USE OF A MINOR IN A SEXUAL PERFORMANCE (§ 111(7)(D)): This clause covers offenses involving “[u]se [of a minor] in a sexual performance.” That includes both live performances and using minors in the production of pornography, and has some overlap with section 111(7)(G), which expressly covers child pornography offenses.
SOLICITATION OF A MINOR TO PRACTICE PROSTITUTION (§ 111(7)(E)): This clause covers offenses involving “[s]olicitation [of a minor] to practice prostitution.” Jurisdictions can implement the offense coverage requirement under this clause by requiring registration, in cases where the victim was below the age of 18, based on:
- any conviction for an offense involving solicitation of the victim under a general attempt or solicitation provision, where the object offense is a prostitution offense, and
- any conviction for an offense involving solicitation of the victim under any provision defining a particular crime whose elements include soliciting or attempting to get a person to engage in prostitution.
VIDEO VOYEURISM INVOLVING A MINOR (§ 111(7)(F)): This clause covers “[v]ideo voyeurism as described in section 1801 of title 18, United States Code [against a minor].” The cited federal offense in essence covers capturing the image of a private area of another person’s body, where the victim has a reasonable expectation of privacy against such conduct. Jurisdictions can implement the offense coverage requirement under this clause by requiring registration for offenses of this type, in cases where the victim was below the age of 18.
POSSESSION, PRODUCTION, OR DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY (§ 111(7)(G)): This clause covers “possession, production, or distribution of child pornography.” Jurisdictions can implement the offense coverage requirement under this clause by requiring registration for offenses whose gravamen is creating or participating in the creation of sexually explicit visual depictions of persons below the age of 18, making such depictions available to others, or having or receiving such depictions.
CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT INVOLVING A MINOR AND RELATED INTERNET ACTIVITIES (§ 111(7)(H)): This clause covers “[c]riminal sexual conduct involving a minor, or the use of the Internet to facilitate or attempt such conduct.” The definition has two parts:
- The “criminal sexual conduct involving a minor” language in this definition covers sexual offenses whose elements involve physical contact with the victim. Such as provisions defining crimes of “rape,” “sexual assault,” “sexual abuse,” or “incest”. In cases where the victim was below 18 at the time of the offense. In addition, it covers offenses whose elements involve using other persons in prostitution. Such as provisions defining crimes of “pandering,” “procuring,” or “pimping”. In cases where the victim was below 18 at the time of the offense. Coverage is not limited to cases where the victim’s age is an element of the offense, such as prosecution for specially defined child molestation or child prostitution offenses. Jurisdictions can implement the offense coverage requirement under the “criminal sexual conduct involving a minor” language of this clause by requiring registration for “criminal sexual conduct” offenses as described above whenever the victim was in fact below the age of 18 at the time of the offense. (Section 111(7)(C) and (E) separately require coverage of offenses involving solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct or to practice prostitution, but registration must be required for offenses involving sexual conduct with a minor or the use of a minor in prostitution in light of section 111(7)(H), whether or not the offense involves “solicitation” of the victim.)
- Jurisdictions can implement the “use of the Internet to facilitate or attempt such conduct” part of this definition by requiring registration for offenses that involve use of the Internet in furtherance of criminal sexual conduct involving a minor as defined above, such as attempting to lure minors through Internet communications for the purpose of sexual activity.
CONDUCT BY ITS NATURE A SEX OFFENSE AGAINST A MINOR (§ 111(7)(I)): The final clause covers “[a]ny conduct that by its nature is a sex offense against a minor.” It is intended to ensure coverage of convictions under statutes defining sexual offenses in which the status of the victim as a minor is an element of an offense, such as specially defined child molestation or child prostitution offenses, and other offenses prohibiting sexual activity with underage persons. Jurisdictions can comply with the offense coverage requirement under this clause by including convictions for such offenses in their registration requirements.
When prevention and knowledge is your best defense against victimization, and the registry can provide information on, say, sex offenders in your neighborhood, it’s a tool you’ll want at your fingertips.
The Amber Alert Portal is currently working with states to further enforce this registration, with the possible implementation of a “Predator Alert” system to inform members of law enforcement, the media and the public when these offenders go missing.
You can sign up to receive Amber Alerts on your mobile/ cell phone or email inbox. As well, you get an Amber Alert Child ID Kit to document important information/ photos of your child as a protective measure.
It’s easy to understand how the criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert could be slightly confusing, given that AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response,” even though it is not a system designed for simply missing children… The AMBER Alert system was designed specifically for abducted children.
First of all, the criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert differ from state-to-state, although the guidelines for a set of minimum criteria was issued by the Department of Justice after the PROTECT Act, passed in 2003, to which most states adhere closely.
The Department of Justice’s Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts are as follows:
1. Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place
This means that someone must have witnessed the abduction of the child.
2. The child is at risk of serious injury or death
In most cases, a child is abducted by someone they know; In the most dangerous cases, they are abducted by a stranger. Law enforcement may evaluate a child’s risk dependent on whom the abductor is.
3. There is sufficient descriptive information of child, captor or captor’s vehicle to issue an Alert
Depending on the state in which the alert is being issued, the minimum information needed may be the license plate number.
4. The child must be 17-years-old or younger
This is the variable that ranges most from state-to-state, some having set the age at 10 or younger.
5. It is recommended that immediate entry of AMBER Alert data be entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Text information describing the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the child should be entered, and the case flagged as Child Abduction.
The NCIC is a computerized database of documented criminal justice information available to virtually every law enforcement agency nationwide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If these criteria are met, alert information is assembled for public distribution. This information may include descriptions and pictures of the missing child, the suspected abductor, and a suspected vehicle along with any other information available and valuable to identifying the child and suspect.
All these restrictions may lead one to wonder if their missing child is insignificant… Absolutely not!
However, the circumstances by which a child typically becomes missing, i.e., wandering off by mistake, running away after an argument, et cetera, place state or nationwide lookouts for a child at deathly risk and can be excessive.
AMBER Alerts are heard on the radio, seen on the television, on the internet (for instance, on this site), or even displayed on freeway bulletins or sent as text-messages to cell phones. There are many measures in place, from government to local levels to retrieve a missing child.
Advocates for missing children are concerned that the public is becoming desensitized to AMBER Alerts because of a large number of false alarms, in those instances where police have been known to issue an AMBER Alert without strictly adhering to the Department of Justice’s activation guidelines.
For example, only 70 of the 233 AMBER Alerts issued in 2004 (30%) were actually children taken by strangers or who were unlawfully traveling with adults other than their legal guardians.
In either case, whether a child is “missing” or has been “abducted,” the important thing to keep in mind is that you should contact your local law enforcement agents and be ready to provide them with solid, accurate and current information.
The whole thing begins when local law enforcement is informed that a child has been abducted or has been missing. They verify that the incident meets AMBER Alert criteria. If it does, they will issue an actual AMBER Alert and provides the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with relevant information to include in the outgoing Alert.
NCMEC formats the AMBER Alert message, sends it electronically to Syniverse who, in turn, passes it onto Wireless carriers. Wireless carriers (like AT&T, Alltel, T-Mobile, Cricket and others) have stepped up and volunteered to send AMBER Alert messages, as text messages, to subscribers like you.
How to Sign Up to Receive Wireless AMBER Alerts:
The best, quickest and easiest way to sign up and receive Wireless AMBER Alerts is to visit this link www.WirelessamberAlerts.org (you’ll see a similar solicitation on the side of the van, pictured just to your right). Once you’re there, just enter your Wireless/ cell phone number. Take a few minutes to skim the Terms and Conditions of the Wireless AMBER Alerts program, press “Accept,” then press “Complete Subscription.”
What’s most important is that you’ll want to enter the zip code for your home or place of employment, because that enables them to send AMBER Alerts for children missing in your specific area. You can enter up to 5 zip codes if you travel extensively, by the way. Oh, you’ll also need to either come up with a password, or have the website assign one for you.
Afterwards, you’ll be officially enrolled in the AMBER Alerts initiative! The Wireless AMBER Alerts service is free, and there is no charge to enroll. You only receive AMBER Alerts for your given area, and if you haven’t already, you might want to think about it this way — you might just help save a life!
How Do I Sign Up, Just Using my Cell Phone?
First, you’ll just text the word AMBER, followed by a space and your five-digit zip code, to 26237. You’ll get a reply confirming your enrollment. Then, if you decide to unsubscribe, just send STOP to 26237.
Again, the Wireless AMBER Alerts service is free, and there is no charge whatsoever to enroll.
Most, not all, wireless customers can register by cell phone.
How Wireless AMBER Alerts Affect Your Phone:
After signing up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts, you’ll receive a text message welcoming you to the program. Wireless AMBER Alerts come through as text messages, and will appear on your wireless device/ phone the same way as any other text message. Of course, you’ll receive a text message notifying you when a given AMBER Alert is canceled (could either be because the child was found, or for some other reason). Note that one of the most important things you can do to protect your child from abduction is to get the official AMBER Alert Child ID Kit.
I’m not suggesting that your child will be one of 780,000 children each year who are reported abducted, missing or lost. However, in the event the AmberAlert.com Child ID Kit is needed, you’ll have everything you need to help law enforcement get on-task as soon as possible. The kits run about $30, and the kids they protect are priceless.
In the end, rest assured — because you’ll only receive AMBER Alerts from their organization, and only those alerts that apply to missing children in the area in which you enroll.
