HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 034 (3) INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-034
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 21, 2023
Page 1 of 1
i
SUBJECT: AMBER ALERT NETWORK
r rn
Yg73
This report provides a short history of the AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert
network, outlines the criteria for activation of the alert, and discusses the Fort Worth Police Department's policy for
using this system.
Following the kidnapping and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas, in 1996, state law
enforcement and local media realized a need for timely notifications of missing and endangered children. The
AMBER Alert system was signed into Texas law in 2002 with the purpose of prompting tips and leads from the public
to local law enforcement agencies. All law enforcement agencies within Texas must contact the Texas Department
of Public Safety(TXDPS)to request the issuance of an AMBER Alert. The following is a list of criteria that must be
met for TXDPS to issue the alert:
• Is this child 17 years of age or younger, whose whereabouts are unknown, and whose disappearance law
enforcement has determined to be unwilling which poses a credible threat to the child's safety and health;
and if abducted by a parent or legal guardian, was the abduction in the course of an attempted murder or
murder?
Or is this child 13 years of age or younger, who was taken (willingly or unwillingly)without permission from
the care and custody of a parent or legal guardian by someone unrelated and more than three years older or
by another parent or legal guardian who attempted or committed murder at the time of the abduction?
• Is this child in immediate danger of sexual assault, death or serious bodily injury?
• Has a preliminary investigation verified the abduction and eliminated alternative explanations for the child's
disappearance?
• Is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public to help locate the child, a suspect, or the
vehicle used in the abduction?
Sufficient information must be available for public dissemination. Even if the other criteria are met, an alert may not
be issued if specific information such as suspect vehicle, named suspect, or specific photographs cannot be obtained
in order to notify the public.
These criteria are also captured in the Fort Worth Police Department's General Orders under section 334.04. In part,
the General Order states "The Amber Plan shall be initiated whenever circumstances indicate the need for an
immediate large-scale, organized search for an abducted child." The decision to request an AMBER Alert rests with
the Major Case Sergeant. If the initial investigation identifies the need for an AMBER Alert request, a specific
request form is completed with the necessary information and emailed to a TXDPS account that is monitored 24
hours a day. Once emailed, the investigator will also call TXDPS to verify receipt. The requesting agency will also
create a standardized flyer for public dissemination.
Once an alert is issued by TXDPS, all participating radio stations will interrupt programming to broadcast the alert
and any subsequent information provided by the police, as well as other forms of public service announcements.
Local law enforcement will also broadcast this information through law enforcement channels to ensure information is
shared. Alerts issued by TXDPS have a maximum activation period of 24 hours. Any requests to extend an alert
must be accomplished on or before the 23-hour reminder from TXDPS, indicating why an extension is necessary.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Executive Assistant Police Chief Robert Alldredge at
robert.alldredge@fortworthtexas.gov or 817-392-4131.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS