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Showing posts with label Amber Alert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amber Alert. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2012
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Monday, November 5, 2012
DOJ - Google Joins the AMBER Alert Network:
November 5th, 2012
The following post appears courtesy of Mary Lou Leary, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs
Last week the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) welcomed Google into the AMBER alert network. This innovative and exciting new partnership will provide real-time AMBER Alert updates to users of Google Map and Google Search features. Because we know a child’s chances for a safe recovery are greater when resources are mobilized quickly, Google Public Alerts will help to ensure a rapid response in the first critical hours after a child goes missing.
As most people know, AMBER alert is a notification system for abducted children. It began in 1996 in response to the abduction and murder of a nine-year-old girl in Texas named Amber Hagerman. So AMBER is eponymous, but it’s also an acronym – it stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. To date, 591 abducted children have been recovered and brought safely home through AMBER Alerts.
AMBER Alert started as a partnership among law enforcement, broadcasters, and transportation agencies and later expanded to include other groups in what we call a “secondary distribution network,” which allows us to target AMBER Alerts to specific areas and to reach citizens directly. Radio and TV, lottery and highway signs, airports and truck stops, Yahoo, Facebook and AOL, are all part of the AMBER Alert system of getting information about a missing child to people in the very locality in which she was abducted or last seen. Federal partners such as the FBI, US Marshals Service, ICE and others are part of the team too. Now Google, through its Crisis Response/Disaster Relief projects becomes another critical ingredient in our mission to keep our children safe.
What’s so exciting – and innovative – about secondary distribution is that it relies on partnerships between public and private entities. The collaboration with Google builds on that work, and is particularly encouraging in the case of abducted children because we know the safety of our children is an issue we all care about. Our partnership with Google is a premier example of the great ventures that result when public and private groups pool their resources and ideas.
I have the privilege of serving as the National AMBER Alert Coordinator, and OJP, through our Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is the lead federal office responsible for supporting AMBER activities with our public safety partners. I am tremendously excited about this effort – and about the opportunities this creates for citizens to assist law enforcement in their recovery efforts. We are deeply grateful to Google for their commitment, to NCMEC for their partnership and for all our work together securing the safety of America’s children.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Google introduces missing children alerts in US, plans to expand to Canada, Europe:
Google introduces missing children alerts in US, plans to expand to Canada, Europe
Google is rolling out AMBER Alerts in search results and on Google Maps to highlight areas where children have
Google introduces missing children alerts in US, plans to expand to Canada, Europe
been abducted to assist US authorities in finding missing children.
These alerts are co-ordinated by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US and come as part of Google’s Public Alerts platform, which delivers a number of emergency alerts to users, such as storm warnings, evacuation notices and other public safety announcements.
Users on both desktop and mobile devices will now see an AMBER Alert icon if they search for information related to a location where such an alert has been issued (ie, where a child was recently abducted). Information on the missing child and other information on the case, such as details on a vehicle involved in the abduction, will also be provided.
Screenshot of a test version of an AMBER Alert
It is hoped that increased awareness of abductions will help in the search for these children. Google is also in talks with Missing Children Europe and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection as it plans to expand this service to more countries.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Google Launches Integrated AMBER Alerts:
TECHCRUNCH
Google Launches Integrated AMBER Alerts Service With The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children
Google has continued its focus on “public service” projects today by announcing a new AMBER alerts project in conjunction with The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children. This comes after the company set up a “Crisis Page” for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Google is long-known for providing such services, and this new initiative is a fantastic addition.
What will happen is that when you’re using Google Search or Maps, you’ll see an AMBER Alert if one is in your area. AMBER Alerts let you know when a child has become missing and gives you all of the specific details so that you can keep an eye out, or if you’ve already seen something. Facebook already has a system like this, which is equally great.
Here’s what Google had to say about it:
If you’re using Google Search or Maps on desktop and mobile you’ll see an AMBER Alert if you search for related information in a particular location where a child has recently been abducted and an alert was issued. You’ll also see an alert if you conduct a targeted search for the situation. By increasing the availability of these alerts through our services, we hope that more people will assist in the search for children featured in AMBER Alerts and that the rates of safe recovery will rise.AMBER Alerts will provide information about the abducted child and any other details about the case as they become available. Additional details could include the make and model of the vehicle he/she was abducted in or information about the alleged abductor.
Here’s an example of what you’ll see from the new initiative:
The fact that this is so integrated into Google users’ daily experience is only going to help the association find these missing kids. I would actually love to see more done on the project, basically something that sends your phone alerts or texts as well. Heck, I’d even like to see these alerts in my Google+ stream. Shoot, I wouldn’t mind if these alerts showed up on Google TV, if I had one.
Google said it is also working on bringing the service to Europe and Canada, as well as scaling to more countries. When technology is used for good, everyone in the world wins.
Google Adds AMBER Alerts To Search And Maps:
Google Adds AMBER Alerts To Search And Maps
Google's Public Alerts project is designed to deliver emergency messages such as evacuation notices for hurricanes and more. The project delivers relevant weather, public safety, and earthquake alerts when you search on Google, use Google Maps, and when you activate Google Now on an Android device. Recently, Google added AMBER Alert messages to this platform.
Now, if you use Google Search or Maps on a desktop or mobile device, you'll see an AMBER Alert if you search for related information in a location where a child has been abducted and an AMBER Alert has been issued. With this addition and increased visibility of these alerts, Google is hoping more people will assist in the search of children featured in AMBER Alerts.
The AMBER Alerts will provide information regarding the abducted child as well as other details as they are available including vehicle information or information about the alleged abductor. Google is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to provide the AMBER Alert data.
Google is hoping to scale this service to additional countries and is currently working with Missing Children Europe and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Porch Patrol - A Family Values Social Media Site:
www.youtube.com
Porch Patrol. Donna Norris (the mother of Amber of the Amber Alert) and Angie Camp have created a social network site:
Porchpatrol.com is more than a social media site. It’s a gathering place for people with strong family values. A place where people can connect and experience that sense of community and friendship that we have lost in recent years.
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