The problem is, both alerts turned out to be fakes.
Unfortunately, these two false alerts are only the latest in what appears to be a growing trend, both in Montana and nationally, as more people rely on e-mail and cell phones to stay connected. It's a trend that could have tragic consequences if fake missing-person alerts become so prevalent that people start ignoring them. Remember back when car alarms first became widely available? Who pays any attention to them now?
The Amber Alert program is named for Amber Hagerman, who was just 9 years old when she was abducted and murdered. In response, various law enforcement agencies and media outlets in Texas agreed to team up to spread the word as quickly as possible whenever a child had gone missing and was feared to be at risk of serious bodily harm.
But in order for a true alert to be triggered, someone first has to report the missing child to 9-1-1 or a local law enforcement agency. Anyone can send out a mass e-mail or text message, but only a law enforcement official can initiate a legitimate Amber Alert. And that's how you can tell the difference between a real alert and a fake one.
In Montana, Amber Alerts are issued by the state Department of Justice, which first ensures all the proper criteria is met. Amber Alerts are only issued in cases that involve a child 17 years old or younger who is at serious risk of death or injury. An alternative program to locate runaways, missing adults and children involved in custody disputes was unveiled by Montana's Division of Criminal Investigation in June, and is known as the Missing and Endangered Person Advisory.
The Montana Missing Person Clearing House, located within the Justice Department, coordinates the state's missing persons systems. In March of this year it launched a searchable online database of information about missing children and adults in Montana, at www.doj.mt.gov/enforcement/missingpersons, and since it's constantly updated, it's a good resource to check any time for legitimate information.
The clearinghouse also works closely with the state's media to make sure that any real reports of missing persons reach the public's ears as quickly as possible through television, radio and newspapers. But it does not send out text messages or e-mails - so if you receive a report of a missing child via cell phone or computer, the odds are good that it's not legitimate. The Missoulian and its Web site, Missoulian.com, quickly report legitimate Amber Alerts to our readers - and keep them updated on any new developments.
While Billings police are attempting to track down the original senders of the fake Amber Alert in their jurisdiction, it's extremely difficult to trace text messages and e-mails to their origins. Even if law enforcement were able to name the perpetrators of this hoax, they would not be able to hold them accountable for it.
That's because although it's illegal to falsely report a missing person to law enforcement, it's not illegal to send fake missing-person alerts directly to the general public.
It should be. There should be a penalty from intentionally starting a chain of alerts that well-intentioned people forward to everyone they know out of concern for the safety of a child. If nothing else, perhaps the threat of jail time would discourage at least a few more from committing acts of widespread deception.
We can't allow these few bad apples to ruin what has so far been an effective way to locate missing children.
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