The new law gives the New York State Police and Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) authorization to disseminate AMBER Alert information to Internet Service Providers and mobile/cellular service providers who to agree to take part in the AMBER Alert system. This will result in New Yorkers receiving AMBER Alert notifications via their e-mail and electronic text messages on a personal computer, cell phone or personal digital assistant.
Earlier this month, an AMBER Alert was issued after three Westchester County children were reported missing and abducted by their father. The children were found safe on Sunday night after a citizen recognized that the van described in the AMBER Alert was parked in his neighbor's driveway, and he immediately called 911.
Senator Marty Golden stated, "I am proud that the State of New York has advanced with the times and will now provide for an official notification of a missing child through e-mail and text messaging. The Amber Alert Plan, created in 2002, has given us a strong groundwork on which to build as a society to see that our children remain out of harms way. We have expanded its abilities and New York's children will be safer because of this new law. An official e-mail message will allow so many more people to know of the fact that a child is missing."
Under current law, when a child is reported missing, local law enforcement agencies can request an AMBER Alert through the New York State Police if the missing child is under 18 years of age and there is reason to believe the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death, there is a proven medical or physical condition that puts the child at-risk.
The AMBER Alert is then broadcast through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and a 24-hour electronic messaging system to television and radio stations, which briefly interrupts regular programming to notify the public of an at-risk missing child.
Activation of the EAS and use of the TV and radio electronic messaging system sends an alert tone, followed by a voice or text message that is repeated every 20 minutes during the first hour, every 30 minutes during the second hour and then once an hour for the next six hours.
Under the bill signed into law by the governor, Internet users are able to subscribe to a special e-mail notification service through the Division of Criminal Justice Services or the New York State Police Web sites beginning later this year. In addition, DCJS and the New York State Police have been coordinating with Internet and mobile service providers to directly distribute this information to their subscribers using e-mail and text messages.
To receive AMBER alerts via email, visit www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us or www.nysamber.troopers.state.ny.us and click on the AMBER Alert link from the homepage. Then simply enter your email address, select the alerts that you would like to receive and select submit. Users will soon receive a confirmation email that will complete the registration process with the option of unsubscribing at any time.
Chauncey G. Parker, New York State director of Criminal Justice said, "Since Governor Pataki launched the program statewide in September 2002, the AMBER Alert program has been activated eight times and was instrumental in the safe return of four abducted children. The addition of commercial Internet and mobile communications companies will provide for the most well coordinated dissemination of this information possible and will help to quickly locate and safely return missing children to their families."
