California Highway Patrol (CHP) Assistance
The local law enforcement agency will always maintain investigative control over a child abduction incident. It is not the intent of the CHP to interfere in any way with jurisdictional responsibility in a child abduction investigation. Instead, the CHP stands ready to provide assistance to local investigating agencies when requested.
On August 18, 2002, the CHP’s Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center (ENTAC) was established. ENTAC is under the command and direction of the CHP and serves as a centralized point-of-contact to provide assistance to investigating agencies as needed. ENTAC operates 24-hours a day, seven days per week, and can assist all California law enforcement agencies with the initiation of statewide or regional AMBER Alerts. When requested, ENTAC can also provide assistance to an investigating agency with the timely dissemination of child abduction information utilizing other resources. Contact with ENTAC is restricted to law enforcement agencies only---(916) 843-4199.
When contacting ENTAC to request statewide or regional activation of an AMBER Alert, the investigating law enforcement agency will be asked to verify that all of the alert criteria have been met. In addition, the investigating agency will be asked to provide relevant information (e.g., agency contact, suspect, and victim information) for AMBER Alert content. In most instances, the local investigating law enforcement agency will be responsible for requesting assistance with the dissemination of child abduction information. However, should the CHP become aware of a child abduction incident prior to a formal notification or request for assistance, the investigating agency may be contacted by a CHP representative to offer assistance.
