EDITORS NOTE: One week from today, we will mark the ninth anniversary of the abduction and brutal murder of Amber Hagerman. Beginning today, The NEVADA Broadcaster will begin a six part series about AMBER Alert. Next Thursday, our series will conclude with a proclamation from Governor Kenny Guinn, a press release from SBC announcing a $77,000 grant to strengthen the Nevada AMBER Alert System, and the publishing of the Nevada AMBER Alert Time Line. Today, we remember how it all began. Today, we remember the day that Amber died.
On January 13, 1996, beautiful and bright nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was riding her bicycle near her home on a warm Saturday afternoon in Arlington, Texas -- when a neighbor heard the girl scream. The neighbor saw a man pull Amber off her bike, throw her into the front seat of his pickup truck, and drive away at a high speed.
The neighbor called police and provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle, but couldn't recall much else. Arlington Police and the FBI interviewed other neighbors and searched for the suspect and vehicle. Local radio and TV stations covered the story in their regular newscasts.
Four days later, Amber's body was found in a drainage ditch four miles away. Her throat had been cut. Her kidnapping and murder remain unsolved today.
A concerned citizen contacted a Dallas area radio station, suggesting the idea that Dallas radio stations should repeat news bulletins about abducted children just like they do severe weather warnings.
The idea was presented to the Association of Radio Managers (ARM) composed of general managers of the major radio stations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The general managers agreed that such a program would provide an important public service and might help save the life of a child.
The Dallas Amber Plan was started in July, 1997 to help safely recover abducted children that police believed whose lives were in danger.
And that is how it all began. |
In May, the Postal Service continues its tradition of drawing attention to important social causes by issuing the "AMBER Alert" stamp in Washington, DC, to honor a program dedicated to the rapid recovery of abducted children. Named after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was tragically kidnapped and murdered in 1996, AMBER is an acronym for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. When law enforcement officials have sufficient information about the circumstances of abduction, and believe the child is in imminent danger, they partner with media and state transportation officials to broadcast an alert. The chalk pastel illustration shows a reunited mother and child entwined in each other's arms. 
