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Gov. Gregoire Declares Sunday Amber Alert Day

For Immediate Release: January 10, 2008

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today declared Sunday, Jan. 13 to be Amber Alert Day to promote citizen participation in this valuable tool for locating abducted children.

�Every second counts when a child is abducted,� Gregoire said. �The more quickly we can alert the public about abduction, the better our chances of capturing the perpetrator and recovering that child unharmed. We need as many eyes out there as possible when a child�s life is at stake.�

The Amber Alert plan was created in 1997 as a legacy to nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. Since then, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have joined it. The nationwide nature of the alerts helps law enforcement agencies coordinate searches when suspects are believed to have left their home states.

�When a young person is abducted, we know that time is our enemy,� said Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. �Amber Alerts get the public involved, very quickly, in helping find that missing child.�

Washington broadcasters, law enforcement and state agencies partnered to develop the first statewide Amber Alert plan in April 2004 using a new web portal alerting technology. Citizens, local law enforcement agencies and the media receive email alerts so word goes out as quickly as possible. The alerts can be sent to mobile phones and pagers if the recipient desires that.

Washington issues about seven Amber Alerts a year. They can be activated by law enforcement agencies when they believe a minor is in danger of injury or death.

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