It’s official! Fifteen agencies have signed an agreement making the AMBER ALERT more than just a dream. With the launching of the program the chances of children being recovered after an abduction have now increased.
Knoxville Police Chief Phil Keith spoke at the ceremony last Wednesday, October 10, to kick off the AMBER plan. Agencies from across Eastern Tennessee were on hand to watch the signing and hear speaker Russ Leach, Police Chief from Riverside, California give his first hand account of working with the AMBER ALERT when a child in Riverside California was taken from her home. The 10-year-old girl was abducted from her bed while her mother slept in the next room. She was later recovered in Nevada. A 67-year-old former male babysitter was charged in her abduction. “I’m a believer in the AMBER ALERT plan,” stated Leach. “Children are our most precious resource. We need to protect them.”
There are 850,000 missing children a year. Of those 4,000 are abductions and of those 50-300 died. Of the children that are murdered, 74% are killed in the first three hours. Keith told the crowd “The Amber Plan is not a law enforcement plan, it’s a community plan.” Leach stated that the AMBER ALERT “is a great tool for helping law enforcement.”
Over a hundred people attended the event including a primary class from Farragut Elementary School who led the Pledge of Allegiance.
The AMBER ALERT goes into effect once a child is reported missing and an investigation determines the child is in danger. An alert is then issued on television through the emergency alert system. Radio stations are also instrumental in spreading the word. To start the ball rolling, the agency reporting the child abduction will contact the Knoxville Police Department, which will then set up a phone bank to be manned initially from members from the Knoxville Police Department. “The Knoxville Police Department will help in any way we can, with criminologists or whatever resources we have available to help find a missing child” stated Keith.
A toll-free number will be used for callers to call with tips. The new toll-free number is 1-866-88-AMBER. The new AMBER ALERT website is www.etamberalert.com. This site will be used for agencies to pick up information and use it in the best and most timely fashion to get the word out on the missing child.
Chief Keith recently returned from Washington D.C. where he gave a presentation on parent tips to see who is the most likely person to be a child predator. “Lots of research has been pulled together to try to find the profile of a probable abductor. He is generally a white male, age 27 ? and has moved three to five times in the last five years. He is usually unemployed, has few adult relationships and knows little about the child before an abduction except from information obtained by observation,” said Keith. “Also, they usually live with a family member and have low social skill levels.” Keith also stated that in many cases, the abductor has already made a couple of ‘trial runs’ or ‘practices’ before he actually goes all the way through with an abduction. In 40% of child homicide cases the abductor was a friend or acquaintance. Keith said the highest risk ages for children to be abducted are from ages eight to eleven.
“This was the first time since Ronald Reagan was in office that a President had a conference in the White House on children,” said Keith. “President Bush along with five cabinet members were at the presentation and the President is working at making the AMBER ALERT a nationwide program. He has already announced a Federal Coordinator to put the plan in effect.”
To date, the Amber Alert is credited with recovering 34 children nationwide. Fifteen states have initiated statewide Amber Alert plans.

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