BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — In the 23 years of the Amber Alert system, 967 children have been rescued because of the emergency alerts.
The alert can be sent out locally, regionally or statewide. Officer Robert Rodriguez with the California Highway Patrol, said when an abduction occurs it is important to notify the public in a timely matter to aid in law enforcement's efforts with rescuing.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the following criteria must be met for law enforcement to issue a California Amber Alert Plan:
- It has been confirmed that an abduction has occurred, or the child has been taken by anybody including, but not limited to, parents and/or guardians.
- The victim is 17 years of age or younger, or of proven mental or physical disability.
- There is a reason to believe the victim is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is information available that, if disseminated to the general public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim.
Officer Rodriguez also recommends having pictures of your child and fingerprints in case of an abduction to assist law enforcement in locating the child.
"It does work and we want the public to have that reassurance that we will do everything that we can to put that information out if your child does go missing or is abducted," Officer Rodriguez said.
