Today in Idaho, at least eight children or persons are registered as missing.
Stories about missing children appear all over the news in America. According to an advertisement for a watch that protects children, a child goes missing every forty seconds.
The Amber Watch, worn by children, is designed to release 110 decibels that can be heard 400 yards away when a child is abducted.
The Idaho State Police have created a missing person checklist for parents. It emphasizes the importance of remaining calm.
They suggest having the child’s information; name, date of birth, height, weight, color of hair and eyes, on hand at all times.
The checklist also instructs parents to check everywhere that the child might be; at friends, down the street, hiding or even sleeping, before calling the law. The checklist can be found online at www.isp.state.id.us/identification/ missing/documents/eettoReportaMissingperson.doc
Throughout the United States, police forces and department stores have methods used when a child goes missing. In every department store in Idaho they use what is called a code Adam.
According to state guidelines, when a child is reported missing in the store, they announce a code Adam and every employee watches for the child. They set up posts by the doors to make sure that no one with the given description leaves the store.
Amber Alert, a nation-wide and relatively new method for getting the word out about missing persons, has expanded to include technology.
In January, Idaho launched the Amber Alert Web portal, which means citizens can receive Amber Alerts via cell phones. The headline of a related press release reads, “We’ll be watching you: Idaho sends warning to child abductors.”
Idaho advises citizens to sign up to receive the Amber Alert through their communication devices. They can register for an alert from the state of Idaho at www.IdahoAMBERAlert.com or nationally at www.AMBERAlert911.com. They will receive the information straight from the law enforcement agency.
The Missing Person Clearinghouse hosts a Web site in conjunction with the state police. It gives information on every recorded missing person in the state at the current time.
The terrors of abduction and crime surround communities. Natalee Holloway, an eighteen- year-old from Alabama, went missing in Aruba while on a senior trip.
Shasta Groene and her brother from northern Idaho were abducted. It even happens to adults, like in the case of Lori Hacking from Utah.
With advanced technology such as the Amber Alert, Web portals and the Adam codes, many more incidents can end happily. Groene was spotted in a Denny’s restaurant and spared. Her picture had been posted all over the news and the waitress knew what she looked like.
The search for Holloway in Aruba continues, with the parents raising the award amount by double. In the case of Lori Hacking, police arrest her husband Mark and sentenced him for six years to life for murder.
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