(WEST TRENTON)—At the State Police Headquarters in West Trenton, Governor James E. McGreevey signed legislation today establishing the Amber Alert system in New Jersey. The Amber Alert system utilizes media alerts to help locate missing children within hours after they are abducted.

 

In August, the Governor instructed the Attorney General and the State Police to expedite the development of the State’s Amber Alert system in order to make it operational by the fall. The new law effectively codifies the agreement between the broadcasters and the State Police to implement the Amber Alert.

 

“When children are abducted, time is of the essence,” said McGreevey. “Whether they’re driving their car or watching TV, the goal of the Amber Alert system is to galvanize all New Jerseyans in the search and safe return of missing children.  Clearly, the Amber Plan is about finding missing children, saving lives and catching abductors.”

 

The Amber Alert system is named after Amber Hagerman , a 9-year-old Texas girl who was abducted and killed in 1996.  To date, the Amber Plan has been credited with recovering 41 children across the nation.  New Jersey is one of 30 states to have implemented statewide Amber Plans.

 

Under the plan, broadcasters send out an Amber Alert during the most crucial time—the first few hours after a child is abducted. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 74 percent of the children murdered by non-family members are killed within the first three hours after their abduction.

 

To notify the public of an abduction, broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the Emergency Broadcast System, to air information about the missing child, suspected abductor and the vehicle involved. The alert is broadcast as often as possible—every 15 to 25 minutes during the first three hours after the State Police issues an abduction notice, and every 30 to 60 minutes during hours three through six.

 

Additionally, the Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Highway Authority, Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority will be notified so that they can broadcast the alert on their roadway message signs.

 

The bill, A-1558 was sponsored by Assemblymen Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) and Gary Guear (D-Mercer, Middlesex).  The Senate version was sponsored by Senators John Adler (D-Camden), John Girgenti (D-Passaic, Bergen), Richard Bagger (R-Essex, Union, Somerset, Morris), and Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth, Middlesex).

 

"New Jersey parents can now rest assured that the state is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of their children," said Greenwald.  "It's been proven over and over again now that the Amber Alert Plan indeed saves lives.  Amber alerts are an easy way to enlist the help of every citizen within eyeshot or earshot of TV, radios, and message boards, in the rescue of an abducted child."

 

"We hope New Jersey never has to utilize the Amber Alert System, but we know it's there just in case," said Guear, a former Trenton police detective.  "If we are able to save just one family from the trauma of losing their child, the effort will have been well worth it."

 

Adler, co-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee said: "'Amber Alert' represents our best possible chance of finding missing or abducted children quickly and without harm.  Often, the first few hours of an abduction are the most important, and the likelihood of finding a child alive after the first few hours is greatly reduced.  Having a network of literally thousands of eyes and ears on our roadways keeping an eye out for a missing child could mean the difference between life and death for our State's sons and daughters."

 

"We've seen the successes of Amber Alert in states such as California in recent months in the finding of kidnapped or missing children,” added Girgenti, co-chair of the Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee. ”By enlisting the public, law enforcement organizations have an increased pool of informants and an important tool in ensuring the safety of children.  Bringing Amber Alert to New Jersey will invariably aid our law enforcement community in the protection of New Jersey's children."