Governor Jack Dalrymple has proclaimed today AMBER Alert AwarenessDay in North Dakota. This day honors Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle and brutally murdered on this day in 1996. Broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children, eventually creating the AMBER Alert system.
"North Dakota is committed to protecting its young people and keeping its communities safe, and the statewide AMBER alert system is an important part of those efforts," said Dalrymple. North Dakota implemented the system in February 2003. Seven AMBER Alerts involving eight children have been issued in North Dakota, with seven of the children successfully recovered.
Most children are murdered within hours of being abducted, so their chances of being returned to safety diminish rapidly. AMBER Alert quickly notifies the public of an abducted child 17 years of age or younger when the abductor is believed to be a stranger, or in a family abduction when the child may be in danger of serious harm or death. Descriptive information about the child, abductor, and vehicle is obtained by law enforcement and broadcast through an AMBER Alert to assist in the safe recovery of the victim and apprehension of the suspect.
AMBER Alerts are broadcast on television, radio, wireless devices, and Department of Transportation message boards. Information can be received by dialing 511 from any phone. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children developed a secondary distribution network to disseminate AMBER Alerts.
Nationally, the program has helped save the lives of 794 children. For more information, please visit http://www.nd.gov/amber.