OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION OF UPDATED AMBER ALERT BEST PRACTICES GUIDE

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******PUBLICATION ADVISORY******

OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION OF UPDATED AMBER ALERT BEST PRACTICES GUIDE

          WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today made available updated guidelines to help states and regional offices recover abducted children through America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alerts.

          The updated AMBER Alert Program Best Practices resource guide, published by the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, provides a “what works” approach based on input of those who lead and oversee AMBER Alerts as part of larger missing persons and child protection programs at the state and regional levels.

          Originally published in 2012, the 2019 second edition of the guide—which is available online—was announced by OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and National AMBER Alert Coordinator Matt M. Dummermuth during remarks given at the National AMBER Alert Symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona.

          “Technology, and our knowledge about what works in responding to child abductions, have evolved over the last seven years, and it’s time we give you a resource that helps you adapt to those changes,” said Dummermuth. “The new guide is organized around the life cycle of an AMBER Alert, so it connects best practices to each decision point in the response, from intake of a report to specific law enforcement actions and on to the elements that factor into an AMBER Alert coordinator’s decisions.”

          “Protecting children—especially those whose lives are in imminent danger—is fundamental to the mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,” said OJJDP Administrator Caren Harp. “This new resource will give our regional, state and local AMBER Alert partners the latest information, solicited from veteran public safety officials and seasoned experts, on how to respond swiftly and effectively to child abductions.”