AMBER Alert is a public notification system used to help locate an abducted child, or an adult with a proven mental or physical disability. It is a co-operative program between Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security, Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), police services, and those provincial broadcasters who choose to participate.
Alberta’s AMBER Alert program started in 2002 and the first alert was activated in December 2003. Since then there have been 16 AMBER Alerts in Alberta. Not one of the alerts has been a hoax, and each has resulted in the child being recovered safely.
How it works
AMBER Alerts are a tool police can use under specific circumstances to support other investigative techniques. The decision to activate an AMBER Alert in Alberta can only be made by a police service within the province. This decision is not taken lightly and strict criteria have to be met.
Once the criteria are met, relevant information is released that can include:
- descriptions of the abducted person
- descriptions of the suspect
- vehicles involved
- what, where, why and how the abducation happened
- the location/direction the suspected abductor is travelling
Police investigators pass this information to an authorized user within their police force, who activates the AMBER Alert. These authorized users are trained by the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security AMBER Alert coordinator, in partnership with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.
Once the alert is resolved an AMBER Alert Review Committee analyzes the alert to see if improvements in the process can be made.
How Alerts are distributed
News releases are sent to media outlets through the usual police channels, and Alberta's Emergency Alert (AEA) system is also used.
This system is a rapid warning mechanism used to warn Albertans about emerging life-threatening situations and is is managed by the AEMA.
- When an AMBER Alert is activated, the Alberta Emergency Alert system interrupts all partnering radio and television stations, including satellite, to broadcast the alert to the public.
- Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and an RSS feed are also used.
- The Alberta Emergency Alert website informs the public that an AMBER Alert is in progress and publishes the details of the alert.
In addition to the Alberta Emergency Alert system, the following methods are also used to inform the public:
- The Canada Border Services Agency is informed to prevent the abductor and victim from leaving Canada,
- Electronic provincial highway signs are updated (through Alberta Transportation); and
- Text messages can be sent to those who have subscribed to the service (to sign up visit www.WirelessAMBER.ca or text AMBER to 26237).
Working together across borders
All Canadian provinces currently have AMBER Alert systems, and protocols exist to ensure effective co-operation between jurisdictions. When it is neccessary to activate an alert in another province, the Canadian Inter-jurisdictional Protocol requires that the jurisdiction issuing the alert makes sure it meets the other province's criteria.
The jurisdiction issuing the alert makes the request of the other province, and that province issues its own alert if it is satisfied that:
- its own activation criteria are met; and
- there is reason to believe that the abducted child may be travelling to or is already in its territory.
