MAHONING COUNTY Area to use Amber Alert system

The program creates a rapid conduit to dispense vital information.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Amber Alert is coming to Mahoning County.
Sheriff Randall A. Wellington planned to announce the program at a press conference today. He planned to use a PowerPoint demonstration to explain how electronic media outlets can dispense vital information about an abducted child.
Statewide implementation of Amber Alert begins Jan. 1. The order creating the program in Ohio was recently signed by Gov. Bob Taft.
The program is named after Amber Hagerman, who was abducted then murdered in Texas in 1996. The Dallas Amber Alert began in 1997 to help safely recover children.
Involved parties
The local partnership will involve the sheriff's department, Mahoning County Disaster Services and TV and radio electronic media. The sheriff said he will explore the idea of also having the alert broadcast on all news organizations' Web sites, such as The Vindicator's.
The idea is to mobilize the general public during an abduction crisis, he said.
"The essence is finding a child in three to four hours," Wellington said. "This program utilizes the emergency weather alert system now seen on TV and heard on radio."
No money is required because the program uses current technology, he said.
"It is my most sincere hope that the occasion to initiate an Amber Alert will never arise," Wellington said. "As a lifelong law enforcement officer, it is my responsibility to prepare for a crisis that may involve the safety of a child."
Wellington has information packets for law enforcement agencies that contain waivers, the first step before an Amber Alert can be initiated. It is essential that officers in the field become proficient in submitting the vital information forms, he said.
What's necessary
Before electronic media outlets can disseminate personal information about a child, a liability agreement and authorization release is necessary, he said.
Statistically, the safety of a child is compromised with time, the sheriff said. In an abduction scenario, the immediate transfer of information to the sheriff's department and the initiation of an Amber Alert will increase the chances that a favorable and safe resolution may occur, he added.
To qualify for an alert, the missing child must be under 18 and there must be credible information that suggests the child was taken by force or lured away. Law enforcement must believe the child is in danger of serious harm or death.
Also, there must be enough descriptive information about the child or the suspected abductor or the abductor's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast will help. The information disseminated can include the child's picture and suspect's vehicle.
Runaways don't qualify, nor do children taken by a noncustodial relative or children missing more than 24 hours.
meade@vindy.com