2008 AMBER Alert Report: Analysis of AMBER Alert Cases in 2008

• NCJ Number: 234208
• Date Published: October 2009
• Length: 48 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-MC-CX-K002
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Annual/Periodic)

Annotation

This document from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children presents an analysis of AMBER-Alert cases for 2008.

Abstract

Major findings from this report are: 1) 194 AMBER-Alert cases involving 256 children were issued in the United States between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008; 2) of the 194 alerts issued, 166 cases resulted in recovery with 40 of those successfully resolved as a direct of the alert, 8 children were recovered deceased, and 3 cases remained active at the time this report was generated; 3) 50 percent of the alerts were issued statewide, 40 percent were regional, and 9 percent were local issues; 4) Michigan issued the most AMBER-Alerts (n=25), followed by California (n=22) and Texas (n=22); and 5) 52 percent of the alerts were for family abductions (FA), 36 percent for non-family abductions (NFA), 11 percent were lost, injured, or missing (LIM), and 2 percent were endangered runaway (ERU). This report presents data on AMBER-Alerts issued law enforcement agencies during calendar year 2008. The report analyzes alert cases according to the case type for which the AMBER Alert was issued, not by case type at the time the child is recovered. Based on new information at the time of recovery, law enforcement officials may determine that a case should be re-categorized, for example from an NFA to an ERU. The AMBER-Alert program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of the child. Figures and tables