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Child Safety

Amber Alert
The worst feeling any parent could have is the disappearance of their child. This past summer that feeling was realized in an unspeakable horror when two teenage girls were abducted at gunpoint, held hostage, bound, and raped. The ending of this story could have been fatal. Thanks to California's Amber Plan child abduction alert system, television and radio bulletins as well as electronic freeway signs flashed for hours with information about the kidnapping. This led to the first tip and 12 hours after the abductions the girls were saved and the suspect shot and killed. This real life tragedy is the most compelling reason I needed to introduce New Jersey's own plan to deal with abducted children.

The Amber Plan is named in memory of Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Arlington, Texas girl who was kidnapped and ultimately murdered. In response to this, 29 states have initiated their own versions of the Amber Plan. Roughly one million children are reported missing each year in our country. The United States Justice Department estimates about 100,000 stranger abductions are attempted annually. Until recently, New Jersey had no statewide plan to deal with abductions. In December 2002, I was successful in passing legislation to create our own Amber Plan in New Jersey.

How the Amber Plan works is simple. Once it is determined a child has been abducted, the local police will notify the state police. The state police would thereby notify all participating radio and television stations. The alerts will be read after a distinctive sound tone and a statement saying, "This is an Amber Abducted Child Alert." The broadcast media will then issue as many alerts as possible for the first three hours. After the first three hours, the alerts will be broadcast as many times as the State Police deem it necessary.

Although currently our system will only be used in New Jersey, we hope to link it to our neighbors in New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The system itself is voluntary, but we have been given the support of the Broadcasters Association and expect all 79 radio and television stations to participate. In addition to radio and television stations, alerts will be sent to tollbooth workers, FedEx and UPS drivers, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and an array of other police and federal agencies.

The California drama illustrates just how significant a tool Amber alerts can be. By enacting my legislation, we have ensured uniform use of the of the Amber Alert system throughout the state, matched existing plans already in place in New York and Pennsylvania, and could very well save the life of a child. Other plans throughout the country have been responsible for at least 20 children being returned safely to their families. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it. However, having the ability to alert the public about an abducted child quickly will ensure that we are doing all we can to return the child safely to his or her parents.

In an ideal world we wouldn't need the Amber Alert System, but it is just one more tool that can be used to protect our children. New Jersey is not sacred ground where our children are automatically safe. As a father of three, I am proud to have introduced this bill, which has now become law. Together as citizens and neighbors, we can keep our children safe.

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