Amber Alert
and Missing Child Alerts

Missing children - ....Amber Alert, Code Adam, and laws have been put into place to help find a missing child.

Unfortunately, some of these only came into being after a child was abducted or missing and the family members turned a tragedy into positive action.

By being educated about what you can do and the tools out there, hopefully one less family will experience the devastating loss of a child.

Amber Alerts may be sent out via TV, radio, emergency alert systems, e-mails, traffic billboards. Different states may call it by a different name after missing children in their state).

Their website states that if you do spot a child fitting an Amber Alert description to call the phone number given in the Alert immediately and share what you know.

How It Started – Unfortunately, this alert began after the abduction and murder in 1995 of a little 9-year-old girl, Amber Hagerman, in Arlington, Texas.

CODE ADAM
Slightly different than an Amber Alert -- It's a missing child search tool and safety program across the US and in Canada. It’s used in countless stores, malls, museums, parks, amusement parks and federal office buildings to find a abducted or lost child. Wal-Mart implemented the program in 1994, and also used by its affiliates like Sam’s Club, etc.

"Code Adam" is a term used to announce to employees when a child is lost in the store. At this point the store goes on virtual lockdown while the employees look for the child. Establishments that participate usually have a "Code Adam" decal at the entrance somewhere and employees are trained to follow a certain protocol to find the child.

When a visitor reports a missing child, the building is essentially locked. The employees then page "Code Adam," describing the child, with certain employees stationed at entrances and within the building looking for the child.
-- If not found after 10 minutes, police are called.
-- If they find the child, they’re returned to their guardian.
-- If the child is found with someone other than their guardian or family member, attempts are made to stop them leaving and law enforcement is called. Once the child is found or police arrive, the alert is canceled.

START ONE AT WORK? - you can visit www.missingkids.com website ('Get Involved' page) to start one at work!

How It Started - In memory of a 6-year-old boy named Adam Walsh who was taken from a Sears store in 1981 in Florida and found murdered. His father, John Walsh, is the host of the TV series ’America’s Most Wanted’, which asks for public help in spotting dangerous criminals. He also founded the 'National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)' and was joined with others to pass the The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

ADAM WALSH CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFETY ACT
According to the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (H.R.4472):
"An act to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crime, to prevent child abuse and child pornography, to promote Internet safety, and to honor the memory of Adam Walsh and other child crime victims."

The act organized sex offenders into different levels based on their severity and defined tracking requirements of offenders. It created a National Sex Offender Registry with uniform standards for the registration of sex offenders, including a lifetime registration requirement for the most serious offenders. This helps improve uniformity between the 50 state systems for identifying and tracking sex offenders plus easy access to the public.

It was finally signed into law July 2006 by President George W. Bush
25 years after the murder of Adam Walsh, son of John Walsh. A bill to reauthorize the program must be filed in the Senate.

NCMEC
Stands for the "National Center for Missing and Exploited Children." A nonprofit, private information resource to find missing children who have either run away or been abducted and help abused children. It was started in 1984 in the US. Photographs of missing kids and tips from the public are distributed plus works with state and federal agencies. They also try to educate the public about child pornography, sexual abuse, and abductions.

How It Started - John Walsh and others banded together after the losses of their children and felt frustrated at lack of coordination between law enforcement agencies.

TO HELP you can add their 'Missing Kids Banner' to your website
(shown below), which flashes updated info on kids currently missing. Just go to their website, 'Get Involved' page and copy/paste the code onto your web page. Success stories happen all the time...!

National Hotline to Report a Missing Child
(Natl. Center for Missing & Exploited Children):
1-800-843-5678
(1-800-THE-LOST)
Report any information regarding a missing child to NCMEC’s Call Center. Operators are available 24-hours a day to receive sightings.
Their website -- http://www.missingkids.com

I pray you never have to utilize an Amber Alert or Code Adam....but I'm also thankful they are in place!

-- My other "Child Safety Tips" pages to visit:
First Aid Kit | Learn CPR | Sex Offender Registry Guide | | Statistics
Preventing Sexual Abuse | Child Abduction Prevention | Online Safety Tips

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