Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Amber Alert


Last night, at 1:52 AM, an AMBER alert on that girl’s cellphone jerked me awake from a deep sleep.  I woke to the sound of a “tornado” alarm.
A little girl has gone missing in Poplar, Montana.  
AMBER alerts are named for a little girl named Amber Hagerman.  She was abducted and murdered in Texas in 1996.  A quick response is (and has always been) key to catching the beasts that abduct children.  Following the death of Amber Hagerman, the AMBER alert system was developed to quickly notify law enforcement agencies and the public when a child has been abducted.  The system also requires the cooperation to communication companies and agencies.
Today, Amber alerts hit thousands of points—including cellphones—the instant they are sent.  Details about the child and the abduction are shared.  Since the adoption of the AMBER alert system, hundreds of children have been quickly recovered.
I cannot think of a better reason to be jarred awake late at night.

--Mitchell Hegman

2 comments:

  1. At least there is Amber Alert to deter predators from victimizing children.

    ReplyDelete
  2. One of the better protective systems put in place.

    ReplyDelete