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​Amber Alert

The AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.

Make sure your AMBER Alerts are turned on on your phones! Learn more here.

The Washington State AMBER Alert Plan was authorized by RCW in 2003 with the Washington State Patrol designated as the lead agency. The Chief of the Washington State Patrol is the State AMBER Alert Manager and has final decision making authority over all aspects of the Statewide Plan. The AMBER Alert Advisory Committee is composed of multiple stakeholder groups that include: Washington Department of Transportation, Washington Association of Broadcasters, Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chief’s and the Washington  Emergency Management Division. The Chair of the Committee is the Washington State AMBER Alert Coordinator who is a representative of the State Patrol and the Chief. All final decisions regarding the State Plan are made by the Advisory Committee.

Did you receive an AMBER Alert on your phone?

AMBER Alerts™ are automatically sent through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program to millions of cell phone users. 

Any questions or concerns on the AMBER Alert message received on your phone should be directed to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (1-800-843-5678), who manages the secondary distribution of AMBER Alerts.

For more information on the AMBER Alert Program, view the Frequently Asked Questions.

Washington State - Statewide Amber Plan

Purpose

The Washington State Statewide Amber Plan is the result of a cooperative effort between the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, Washington State Association of Broadcasters, Washington Emergency Management Division, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington Attorney General's Office and the Washington State Patrol, among many others.

The statewide emergency alert system provides law enforcement agencies access to the on-air signals of broadcasting stations across the state during the critical minutes following an initial report, to local authorities, of suspicious circumstances involving a child's disappearance.

The intent of the Washington State Statewide Amber Plan is to disseminate accurate information statewide about the disappearance of a child as quickly as possible. The broadcasts will contain descriptive information that can readily identify the child and the abductor. Citizens with information that may lead to the recovery of the child will be directed to contact the reporting jurisdiction.

History

In January 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. A neighbor was able to provide details about the car and abductor to law enforcement officials, but no system was in place to get the information to local residents quickly. Amber's body was found four days later.

Amber's death drew the community together and "hoping to prevent a similar tragedy" they contacted local radio stations and asked that information about abducted children be broadcast immediately. From this community effort, the criteria and cooperation necessary for the Amber Plan was instituted.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide recognize time as one of the most crucial elements when a child is abducted. According to a 1997 study, 74 percent of the children who are abducted and later found murdered were killed within the first three hours after being taken.

Policy

Based on criteria from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and best practices developed by other states that have implemented this plan, the following process will be adhered to when a law enforcement agency requests statewide activation of the Washington State Statewide Amber Plan. The activating law enforcement agency will be responsible for the initial information and continually updating that information for broadcast. In addition, the activating law enforcement agency will be responsible for ensuring the cancellation process is followed at the appropriate time.

The Washington State Statewide Amber Plan is an additional avenue for law enforcement agencies to resolve an investigation of an abducted child. The overuse or inappropriate use of the Amber Plan will diminish its effectiveness. The following criteria will be strictly adhered to when the activation is requested by a law enforcement agency:

    1. Child is under eighteen (18) and known to have been abducted; is not a runaway or abandoned child.

    2. The child is believed to be in danger of imminent death or serious bodily injury.

    3. There must be enough descriptive information available to believe that an AMBER Alert will assist in the recovery of the child.

    4. The incident must be reported to and investigated by law enforcement. The child, suspect (if known), and vehicle (if known) must be entered into NCIC as soon as sufficient information is available.
Learn more about the processes from the Washington State Patrol and learn more about the Endangered Missing Persons Advisory, Missing Indigenous Persons (MIP) Alert and Silver Alerts.