MADISON - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced that Wisconsin residents can now follow @AMBERAlert on Twitter after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children announced Monday, Jan. 13, which is AMBER Alert Awareness Day, the launch of the Twitter handle for the AMBER Alert program.
"Social media sites are playing an ever increasing role in the rapid spread of important information, and this is one more tool to help us locate missing children when time is critical," Attorney General Van Hollen said. "I encourage people who use Twitter to follow the @AMBERAlert handle and to help law enforcement in these urgent situations."
When an AMBER Alert is activated in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Justice - Division of Criminal Investigation notifies the Dane County Public Safety Communication Center, which sends the alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for secondary distribution, which now will include Twitter.
In Wisconsin, the AMBER Alert has been activated 23 times since the program began in 2003, and has safely recovered more than 30 children. Wisconsin's Clearinghouse for Missing and Exploited Children and Adults at the Wisconsin DOJ coordinates Wisconsin's AMBER Alert Program, which is a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin DOJ, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, Wisconsin Public Radio, the Dane County Public Safety Communication Center, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Wisconsin State Emergency Communications System, the Outdoor Advertising Association of Wisconsin and local law enforcement agencies.
"Social media sites are playing an ever increasing role in the rapid spread of important information, and this is one more tool to help us locate missing children when time is critical," Attorney General Van Hollen said. "I encourage people who use Twitter to follow the @AMBERAlert handle and to help law enforcement in these urgent situations."
When an AMBER Alert is activated in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Justice - Division of Criminal Investigation notifies the Dane County Public Safety Communication Center, which sends the alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for secondary distribution, which now will include Twitter.
In Wisconsin, the AMBER Alert has been activated 23 times since the program began in 2003, and has safely recovered more than 30 children. Wisconsin's Clearinghouse for Missing and Exploited Children and Adults at the Wisconsin DOJ coordinates Wisconsin's AMBER Alert Program, which is a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin DOJ, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, Wisconsin Public Radio, the Dane County Public Safety Communication Center, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Wisconsin State Emergency Communications System, the Outdoor Advertising Association of Wisconsin and local law enforcement agencies.