Los Angeles County Probation Department

Amber Alerts

The AMBER ALERT Program has been credited with helping recover 44 children since 1997 (according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children), and over a dozen children since it was established statewide in California on July 31, 2002 (published in California State Web Site).

In March 2003, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles unanimously approved the motion to use the County web site and the email system to distribute information on Amber Alerts to help in promoting the public’s assistance in the event of an Amber Alert.

What is AMBER ALERT?

Amber Alert refers to both Amber Hagerman – a 9-year-old girl kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996 – and the acronym for the broadcast system for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. AMBER ALERT empowers law enforcement, the media and the public to combat abduction by sending out immediate, up-to-date information that aids in the child's safe recovery.

AMBER ALERT Guidelines

AMBER ALERT may be activated only by law enforcement agencies.
AMBER ALERT is intended only for the most serious, time-critical child abduction cases.
AMBER ALERT is not intended for cases involving runaways or parental abduction, except in life-threatening situations.

Criteria for activating an AMBER ALERT

Law enforcement agencies ensure these conditions are met before activating an AMBER ALERT:

The investigating law enforcement agency confirms an abduction has occurred.
The victim is 17 years of age or younger, or has a proven mental or physical disability.
The victim is in imminent danger of serious injury or death.
There is information available that, if provided to the public, could assist in the child's safe recovery.