News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 19, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Chuck Butler, Gov. Judy Martz’s Communications Office, 406-444-3111; Nelsa Brodie, Washington State Patrol, 360-570-3108; Nancy Jackson, Washington State Department of Information Services: (360) 902-3553

Washington Gov. Gary Locke, Several Governors Launch Multi-State AMBER Alert Web Portal Program

In a multi-state effort, Washington Gov. Gary Locke today announced the launch of a revolutionary new AMBER Alert 911 system. Joining Locke for the news conference were Montana Gov. Judy Martz; Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry; and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski. State and local law enforcement and homeland security officials were also present.

“The new AMBER Alert 911 Web portal offers an unprecedented opportunity to help save children’s lives and deter the abduction of children within our states and across the nation,” Locke said. “The AMBER Alert 911 portal will help save lives at a time when every minute counts, and I am particularly pleased that this effective, comprehensive system was developed with no cost to government, the public or the media to use it.”

The AMBER Alert 911 Web portal www.amberalert911.com is a critical tool for law enforcement to aid in swiftly distributing information about an abducted child and the suspected perpetrator to other law enforcement agencies, the media, members of the public and other stakeholders. The system ensures 24/7 reliability, and – with speed a key factor in child safety – efficiently notifies stakeholders that an AMBER Alert has been issued. There is no cost to government, the public or the media to use it.

Both Washington and Montana have led the way in implementing the groundbreaking AMBER Alert 911 system.

“We all know that when a child is abducted, time is of the essence,” said Martz. “In states like Montana where distances are great and populations sparse, this project will be an even bigger help to get the word out faster and to more people than ever.”

Once law enforcement determines that a situation meets the criteria for an AMBER alert, the AMBER Alert 911 technology notifies thousands of subscribers via email, cell phones, pagers and other devices within minutes – a significant breakthrough since statistics show that 74 percent of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction.

The main driver behind the portal is the AMBER Alert Web Portal Consortium, a public/private partnership of states, law enforcement, the broadcast media and private corporations. Private corporations support the portal through sponsorships, which cover recurring operational costs, thus making the system available to states, law enforcement, broadcast media and the public at no cost.

Members of the public and media can go to www.amberalert911.com to sign up to receive AMBER Alert notifications.

The AMBER Alert 911 portal also features ongoing educational initiatives regarding the dangers of child abductions and the most effective ways to safeguard children.

The AMBER Alert 911 portal is live in Washington. Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Oregon are scheduled for implementation in the near future.



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