Hello Everyone,
Evelyn Here,
I have an older news release from the office of our Attorney General, Charles Crist. I have been so occupied with other matters that I am now reviewing much of the information in my possession. However, and regardless of its age, I think this news release is worth posting.
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Charlie Crist
Attorney General
News Release
__________________________________________________________
Date of release:
October 12, 2006
CRIST PROMOTES FREE WIRELESS AMBER ALERTS PROGRAM,
ENCOURAGES FLORIDIANS TO SUBSCRIBE
TALLAHASSEE - Attorney General Charlie Crist today announced that his
office is helping bring free Wireless AMBER Alerts to more Floridians,
making it easier for citizens to assist in efforts to locate abducted
children. Crist said the Attorney General’s website will now feature a
direct link to sign up for the free wireless service, in a move designed to
raise public awareness of the Wireless AMBER Alerts initiative and
encourage Floridians to subscribe to the service.
The Attorney General’s Office is joining with The Wireless
Foundation, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC)
and the U.S. Department of Justice to promote the Wireless AMBER Alerts
initiative. The AMBER Alert program was created in 1997 when Dallas-Fort
Worth broadcasters teamed up with local law enforcement to develop an early
warning system to find abducted children. The program has grown so that now
90 percent of Americans with wireless devices may receive localized AMBER
Alerts as free text messages, instantly raising awareness of recent child
abductions and often producing valuable information on the child’s
whereabouts.
”Every minute a child is missing is a minute too long,” said Crist.
“We must take every action possible to help ensure that children are safely
returned to their loved ones as quickly as possible. This program saves
lives.”
AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response”
and was also named after Amber Hagerman, the Texas girl whose abduction and
murder led to creation of the Alert system.
“It is our hope that by enlisting the more than 13 million Florida
wireless subscribers in the Wireless AMBER Alerts Initiative, we can
greatly increase the likelihood of recovering an abducted child during this
critical time period,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA-The
Wireless Association and president of The Wireless Foundation. “Wireless
technology has given us the ability to become the guardian angels of our
communities, and I urge Florida residents everywhere to sign up today.”
“We can all help keep children safer by participating in the free
Wireless AMBER Alerts program,” added Ernie Allen, NCMEC president and CEO.
“To date, more than 300 children have been successfully recovered as a
direct result of an AMBER Alert, and we hope to bring even more children
home with the help of Florida’s citizens.”
Subscribers can sign up for free text message alerts through the
Attorney General's home page at http://www.myfloridalegal.com or through
the Wireless AMBER Alerts home page at http://www.wirelessamberalerts.org.
Crist encouraged Floridians to access the site and subscribe to the program
in an effort to continue keeping Florida’s children safe.
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Evelyn Out.
