Cases Not Meeting AMBER Alert Criteria
Although, the EAS should be activated only in those child abduction cases meeting the mandatory AMBER Alert criteria, ENTAC is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions regarding missing children. AMBER Alerts should not be used for cases involving runaways, where no abduction is confirmed or occurred, missing children in which there is no evidence of foul play, or custody disputes where the child’s life or physical health IS NOT reasonably believed to be endangered. It is important to remember that an AMBER Alert is effective only if activated when appropriate. If AMBER Alerts are misused or employed in cases which do not meet the Government Code criteria, the program’s credibility and integrity can be diminished. For cases which do not meet these criteria, agencies should continue to exercise discretion in determining which of the many following available resources would be the most appropriate for transmitting information and photographs to other law enforcement agencies, the media, and the public.
