Title
Proclamation recognizing January 13, 2006 as AMBER Alert Awareness Day and commending the Pennsylvania State Police for their efforts in creating, implementing and administering the Pennsylvania AMBER Alert Plan.
Body
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Justice has declared January 13, 2006, AMBER Alert Awareness Day in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the abduction and murder of 9 year old Amber Hagerman in Texas; in response to this tragedy, the AMBER Alert program was formed; and
WHEREAS, the AMBER Alert program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases, and the purpose of the AMBER Alert Awareness Day is to bring public awareness to the program and to increase public participation in safely recovering missing children; and
WHEREAS, PA Senate Bill 936 strengthens the AMBER Alert system by eliminating confusion and duplication of efforts by authorizing the Pennsylvania State Police as the only official AMBER Alert provider; and
WHEREAS, since the inception of the Pennsylvania AMBER Alert Plan on February 20, 2002, the plan has been activated 29 times for 49 abducted children; of these, 47 children were accounted for, while 2 cases were unfounded, and 17 of these children were recovered as a direct result of the Pennsylvania AMBER Alert Plan; and
WHEREAS, this plan can be activated anywhere in the Commonwealth and can also be utilized for interstate abductions through a cooperative effort with other states across the nation; and
WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania State Police coordinates AMBER Alert efforts with the help of stakeholders from PEMA, PennDOT, PA Turnpike, PA Association of Broadcasters, PA Newspaper Association, PA Cable and Telecommunication Association, PA Chiefs of Police Association, Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission, and the PA Lottery Commission; and
WHEREAS, by enlisting the public ...
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