Jan 13 2007 11:54PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
If a child disappears, law enforcement officials are prepared to use every tool at their disposal to return that child to their family. In many cases, authorities will use the Amber Alert Program.
And today is Amber Alert Awareness Day in North Dakota.
The program was established in the state in 2003 and exists as a voluntary partnership among law enforcement, broadcasters, and transportation agencies.
The system helps spread the word quickly that a child has gone missing.
Most recently, authorities activated the system when Reachelle Smith vanished in
Minot, May of last year.
Police say the alert helped them recover clues in the case.
And though it didn't lead to the recovery of the little girl, Captain Al Hanson says
the Amber Alert generally proves a very useful tool in missing cases.
(Capt. Al Hanson, Minot Police Department) "With all those extra set of eyes out there on the roads commercial truck drivers, the recreational people that are driving or going to work or whatever they're doing...coming from the grocery store who knows who's going to run across that vehicle. We can't be everywhere all the time. We just need all those extra eyes."
According to statistics, Amber Alerts have helped save the lives of over 300 children nationwide.
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