Five Years of Saving Children's Lives:  PA Amber Alert

By Senator Michael A. O'Pake (D-Berks)
Senate Democratic Whip

          Harrisburg, February 15, 2007 -- Tuesday, February 20, marks the fifth anniversary of the Amber Alert System in Pennsylvania.
          It’s an occasion with personal meaning for me, since I had been working to establish an Amber Alert program in Pennsylvania for over two years when, in January 2002, 13 students on a school bus in my district were kidnapped by their driver and taken to Washington, D.C.  A shotgun was found under the driver’s seat.
          The incident ended safely, but that something as big and noticeable as a school bus could go undetected for six hours on Pennsylvania and Maryland roads removed all questions about the need for public involvement when abducted children are in danger.  Perhaps thousands of drivers witnessed this kidnapping unfold, without knowing it or a way to effectively report it.
          Amber Alert programs, established in Texas in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in 1996, have shown themselves to be the way to enlist that help from the public.
          Every state now has one, though they vary significantly from state to state. I am pleased to note that other states now look to Pennsylvania as a model.
          Initially, the Pennsylvania Amber Alert System was a totally voluntary program of state agencies and private media organizations.
          Then in November, 2004, the Senate and House unanimously voted to incorporate it into state law, ensuring it against changes in priorities from one administration to another, and reinforcing its vitality and viability and value to the safe recovery of children in danger of injury or death from a kidnapping, but still relying on the voluntary involvement of private media and the public.
          Since its beginning, Pennsylvania Amber Alerts have been issued on 39 occasions involving 61 children.  They are credited directly with leading to the safe recovery of 21 children in Pennsylvania.
          Today, when an Amber Alert is issued, it is heard on radios, seen on TVs, viewed on highway and turnpike electronic message boards, and directly received via email or text message by more than a quarter million Pennsylvanians signed up to electronically receive alerts.
          A recent agreement between the internet site, MySpace, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to forward Amber Alerts when they are issued will add thousands of more Pennsylvanians to this list of recipients.
          The Pennsylvania Amber Alert System has grown over these five years. It is a valuable, well-established program to protect our children no matter where they live in the state - city, suburb or rural homestead.
          It is truly a pleasure to recognize the Pennsylvania Amber Alert System on this milestone anniversary, and to help call attention to the role that it and, through it, every Pennsylvanian plays in the welfare of our children.

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