This report, published by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Amber Alert, and the US Department of Justice (DOJ), provides an analysis of AMBER Alert cases in 2023.
This publication of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports on AMBER Alert cases in 2023. The America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Plan provides a framework for law enforcement to rapidly broadcast information about child abductions to the public so the community can assist in the recovery of the child. AMBER Alerts make use of every available technology and rely on a voluntary partnership among law enforcement, broadcasters, private companies, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and technology partners. AMBER Alert plans initiate the alert by activating their state and local network, including resources such as the Emergency Alert System. NCMEC provides access to AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution (AASD), a resource composed of private corporations across many industries, social media, websites, digital signage, federal agencies, and others. NCMEC provides geographically targeted information via the NCMEC Call Center to these partners as approved by each AMBER Alert coordinator. Both AMBER Alert plans and NCMEC can use Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to provide geographically targeted cellular broadcasts to the public when a child is abducted. In 2003, the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003 was signed into law, establishing the national coordination of state and local programs, including the development of guidance for issuance and dissemination of AMBER Alerts and the appointment of a national AMBER Alert coordinator within the U.S. DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs. The national AMBER Alert coordinator, in collaboration with a national advisory group, developed a strategy for supporting states and communities to strengthen the AMBER Alert system nationwide and increase the likelihood abducted children will be recovered swiftly and safely.