Help Locate a Missing Child - Register For Free Wireless Amber Alerts

May I suggest that you sign up for Wireless AMBER Alerts. In the United States, the major wireless carriers have made this service available FREE to consumers.

AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.” Essentially, a state-wide alert is issued when an abducted child, age 17 years or younger, is reported to a local law enforcement agency. By quickly distributing information to the public, citizens may be able to report critical information to local law enforcement.

Simply visit WirelessAmberAlerts.org and you’ll be directed to the appropriate registration form for your mobile phone provider.

I found it much easier to sign-up using my cell phone instead of my carrier’s Web site. Assuming you can send and receive text/SMS messages, simply do the following:

To sign-up, send a TXT message to short code 26237 (”AMBER”)
In the message area, type a single U.S. ZIP Code (e.g., 94568).

You’ll then receive a confirmation message. You can repeat this process and enter up to five unique ZIP Codes. But since alerts are usually issued state-wide, it might make sense to only enter one ZIP Code for the state you are in and perhaps the ZIP Code of a neighboring state you are often near.

To cancel, send a TXT message to short code 26237
In the message area, type a single U.S. ZIP Code and the word quit (e.g., 94568 quit).

The information you provide during registration is supposed to be used solely for the Wireless AMBER Alerts initiative and should not be shared with additional parties.

While registering, you define areas you are near. Alerts are typically issued as state-wide alerts. The wireless carriers do not charge you for AMBER Alert text messages that they deliver.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says over 260 children have been recovered. Hopefully you’ll never receive an alert, but if you do, maybe you’ll be in the right place at the right time to help save a life.

Thank you.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions about similar missing persons alert systems in other countries, please share and I’ll be sure to post the information here. Thanks.

ADDENDUM 07/05/2007: You can also receive free AMBER Alert notices via email to your inbox. Register at http://alerts.yahoo.com