Policy Text
Field Services 1 of 4 7/18 (REV 2/10)
AMBER Alert
The purpose of this Order is to o utline the procedure for initi ating an Amber Alert.
I. General
AMBER Alert (America’s Missing : Broadcast Emergency Response Al ert) is a
state-wide program designed to a ssist law enforcement to quickl y and safely
recover abducted children and ment ally or physically disabled a dults. The
program utilizes a wide variety of resources, especially the me dia, to rapidly
disseminate suspect and victim i nformation to allied agencies a nd the public.
Government Code 8594 requires an Am ber Alert be initiated, abse nt extenuating
investigative need, when a child , 17 years or younger, or a per son with proven
mental or physical disabilities has been abducted, and is in im minent danger of a
serious bodily injury or death, a nd information is available th at, if disseminated to
the general public, could assist in the safe recovery of the vi ctim.
II. Criteria
In order for an AMBER A lert to be activated, all the following conditions must be
m e t :
A. Confirmed abduction has occurred.
B. Victim is 17 years of age or younger, or is an adult with s ignificant, proven
mental or physical disability.
C. There is reason to believe victim is in imminent danger of serious bodily
injury or death.
D. There is information availa ble that if disseminated to the public could
assist in the safe recovery of the victim.
Note: AMBER Alert is not intende d for cases involving runaway s, missing
children in which there is no evidence of foul play or custody disputes that are not
reasonably believed to endanger the life or physical health of the child.
II. Officer Response
A. Respond to the scene and condu ct a preliminary investigatio n to
determine if Amber Alert cri teria are present. If so:
Field Services 2 of 4 7/18 (REV 2/10) B. Request a supervisor to the scene.
C. Broadcast all available info rmation to include, if known, t he following:
1. Victim's identifying information and description
2. Suspect information 3. Vehicle description, if any 4. Probable destination or direction of travel 5. Suspect relation to victi m (Stranger/Parental abduction)
6. Time lapse
D. Based on the circumstances take steps to preserve actual or possible
crime scene(s).
III. Supervisory Response
A. Confirm Amber Alert criteri a with officers at the scene. I f so:
B. Request/notify Watch Commander. C. Establish a command pos t and media staging area.
D. Brief Communications super visor and request Media and Homic ide call-
out. E. Request stationhouse missing persons detective and addition al
stationhouse detectives if necessary. F. Direct the investigat ion and/or search(es).
1. Identify and interview family members and other witnesses.
2. Locate most recent photograph of victim.
G. Request additional resources as necessary. H. Ensure that scenes are cordoned off and protected.
IV. Watch Commander Response
A. Make final determination tha t all AMBER Alert criteria are met and an
AMBER alert should be initiated. If so:
B. Contact CHP ENTAC (916) 843- 4199 to request an AMBER Alert. Be
prepared with all available information.
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C. Contact Communications super visor (S1) to advise an AMBER A lert has
been initiated. Request notificat ions are made per G.O. 7/04 , Notification
Requirements.
D. Implement Incident Command System (ICS) to the degree neces sary to
maintain control of the incident.
E. Facilitate the transmittal of the most recent photograph of the victim either
physically to the California Hig hway Patrol ENTAC at 2555 1st Avenue
( 2 4th/Broadway) in Sacramento or e lectronically by e-mail to
ercq@chp.ca.gov .
V. Investigative Response
A. The Homicide Detail will be the lead investigative unit. H owever, if the
victim is recovered alive, another investigative unit may tak e the lead
depending upon the types of crimes committed.
B. The designated Missing Persons detective from the affected station house
district shall respond to assist, as well as additional stati on house
detectives if necessary.
C. If necessary, additional detec tives from Centralized Invest igations Division
can be called upon to assist.
D. In the case of a prolonged inve stigation, incident command may be
transferred to the Centralized In vestigations Division and th e command
post moved to a more suitable location.
VI. Communications Bureau Response
A. The Communications superviso r (S1) shall prepare for a high volume of
calls from the public by holding personnel over and calling o ther personnel
in as necessary.
B. In addition to the routine BO LO transmitted locally through CAD, send
regional BOLO Administrativ e Message through CLETS . CHP ENT AC
will be responsible for sending EDIS FLASH message through CL ETS.
Note that the EDIS FLASH mess age can not contain confidential
information as it will be view ed by the media and public. Th e CLETS
Administrative Message