Amber Alerts Going National?
Oct. 2 -- In front of a group of parents with missing children, President Bush announced his plan to put federal money and muscle behind Amber Alert systems across the nation.
Bush announced that $10 million in federal money would be distributed to communities using the Emergency Alert System to inform residents of kidnappings within hours after they happen.
The money will be used for training and equipment upgrades for each system.
No Nationwide Program
There are 24 statewide Amber plans operating throughout the country, including state, local, and regional plans, but Attorney General Ashcroft told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America that the president has no plans to take the program national.
"We think a varietyof states have already expressedthemselves with what they think works best in their area and howit can best function to protect children there," Attorney General John Ashcroft told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America
"There's no reason for us to havesomething that is national that doesn't recognize the values of particular areas, but if we havea coordinated set of alerts across America that recognize these individual capacities, we think that's the maximum potential, and that's the reasonwe're encouraging states to act."
The president also revealed plans to establish a Amber Alert coordinator at Justice. The coordinator is expected to support and increase cooperation among state and local alert plans.
Bush made the announcements at the first White House Conference on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children. Parents of missing children, police, experts and government officials are attending the daylong meeting.
Immediate Notification
The Amber Alert system, which works through a partnership between law enforcement and the media in many communities throughout the nation, has often been praised for its ability to immediately notify a large number of people about possible kidnappings in their area.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has guided the Amber Alert system, credits it with the recovery of 31 children nationwide.
