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When my Mid Ohio Amber Alert Co-Founder Clark Donley and I helped start one of Ohio's first formalized Amber Alert systems in Mid Ohio, little did we know in February of 2001 that the Amber Alert system for helping recover abducted children would become one of our state's and nation's best crime fighting tools. In early 2001, less than a dozen states and communities in the U.S. had a formalized Amber Alert system which was first started in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX. in 1997. We could not have accomplished so much success in helping take the Amber Alert system statewide in 2002 and in the years that followed without the input, help and hard work of so many current and past Board members, law enforcement and public officials. In 2004 alone, 31 abducted children throughout Ohio were recovered -4 of those occurred in one recovery incident right here in Franklin County,Ohio. Law enforcement agencies may now use the new and improved uniform statewide Amber Alert/LEADS system managed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol (see our MOAA brochure for the details).

What really makes the Amber Alert system work is the cooperation of local law enforcement in properly issuing an alert; of local news media in timely broadcasting an alert; and, most importantly, the public in paying attention to Amber Alerts and accurately reporting any sightings of abductor vehicles, the abductor or the missing child. The other key to the system's success is using it only for bona fide child abductions that meet the detailed Amber Alert criteria (again, see our MOAA brochure for the criteria).

Although we do not issue or control decisions by local law enforcement in issuing an alert, we are one of the first local non-profit Amber Alert organizations dedicated to help improve the process. We are committed to educating the public; helping train local law enforcement, and finding ways to make the Amber Alert system better. Since 2001, we have unselfishly shared our proprietary work product (procedures, training information, forms, etc.) with law enforcement agencies around the State of Ohio and the U.S.

The Amber Alert system is a work in progress and we are trying to make it work better. We also believe that local news media can issue attempted child abduction or missing child news alerts that don't meet the Amber criteria during regular news broadcasts. All missing children are important. Please join us by volunteering your time or donating your dollars to helping us continue to be the innovators, educators and supporters of those efforts to protect our children. We welcome your input.