The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which had originally declined to help further the cause in 1996, expanded in 2002 and started helping to promote the Amber Alert (Lawmakers, 2002). That was a huge leap forward for the Amber Alert system, because the NCMEC was such a large organization with so much to offer when it came to getting the public's attention and getting the word out about children who needed help because they had been abducted or had otherwise disappeared from their home or another location. Thanks to the Amber Alert and the efforts of agencies with which that alert is associated, more children are found before they can be harmed.
From both a social and a political context, the Amber Alert is highly significant. The natural instinct of most of society is to protect children, because they are weaker and more vulnerable to predators than the majority of adults. Because that is the case, society will generally rally behind anything that seems to be designed toward protecting children from...
While that is certainly good news, there are other reasons for people to support something like the Amber Alert. Another reason to support that type of legislation is to gain votes from or favor from the public. Naturally, that is not considered by most people to be the best reason for someone to focus on the Amber Alert and try to show support for it. Still, any press that it gets is good press, because everyone should be aware of what the Amber Alert can offer when it comes to protecting children from harm and ensuring that they are found quickly if they are abducted. While that does not guarantee that all children will be kept safe, the Amber Alert goes a long way toward making sure that the public is made aware quickly when there is a missing child in the area.
References
Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts (PDF). (2004).U.S. Department of Justice.
Lawmakers push national Amber alert system. (2002). CNN.com.
Senate approves national child abduction…
