Activating an AMBER Alert
After receiving a report of a child abduction, agencies are responsible for conducting a preliminary investigation and determining if the AMBER Alert activation criteria, as specified in Government Code Section 8594, have been met.
All of the following criteria must apply:
- It has been confirmed an abduction has occurred (e.g., witness verification, alternative explanations for a child’s absence eliminated).
- The victim is 17 years of age or younger, or of proven mental or physical disability.
- There is reason to believe the victim is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is information available that, if disseminated to the general public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim (a vehicle is not a requirement to activate an AMBER Alert). If the suspect did not flee in a vehicle, an AMBER Alert can still be activated if there is a suspect and victim description.
If the investigating agency determines the incident meets the above AMBER Alert criteria, the agency should then contact ENTAC immediately, as time is of the essence. ENTAC will then confirm the criteria has been met, request victim and suspect identifying information, vehicle description, direction of travel (if known) and whether the investigating agency would like a local, regional or statewide AMBER Alert. ENTAC will then activate the emergency alert system (EAS), Be-On-the-Lookout broadcasts, Critical Reach Flyers, and other secondary notifications, such as the resources coordinated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (e.g., wireless AMBER Alert).
