Amber Alert Information & Statistics: 2006 Report

I was recently asked if it was possible to post some statistics on the success of the Amber Alert program. Here is some information about Amber Alerts and statistics. This is from a report from the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. This the 2006 Amber Alert Report which can be found at http://www.amberalert.gov/pdfs/07_analysis_report.pdf.

Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, 261 AMBER-Alert cases were issued in the United States involving 316 children.

At the time the AMBER-Alert cases were intaked there were 113 FAs, 115 NFAs, 31 LIMs, and 2 ERUs. Ten (10) cases were later determined to be hoaxes, and 27 cases were later determined to be unfounded.

Of the 261 AMBER Alerts issued between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, 214 cases resulted in a recovery, 53 of which were successfully resolved as a direct result of those respective AMBER Alerts being issued. Nine (9) children were recovered deceased, and, as of April 21, 2007, 10 cases still remain active with 11 children still missing.

Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, 261 AMBER Alerts were issued in 39 states. Michigan issued the most AMBER Alerts with 11.5%, followed by Texas with 10.0%, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio each issued 6.9% of AMBER Alerts.

When an AMBER Alert is issued an abductor may take the child outside the jurisdiction of the issuing law-enforcement authority. In some cases the state where the AMBER Alert originated may request an AMBER Alert be extended into another state. In 2006, 11 AMBER Alerts were extended beyond the limits of the state where the AMBER Alert first originated. Eight (8) Alerts were extended to 1 state, and 3 Alerts were extended to 2 states each.

In 2006 the number of AMBER Alerts issued ranged from a low of 15 Alerts in December to a high of 36 Alerts in June. The remaining months in 2006 varied between 17 Alerts and 25 Alerts.

Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, 10 AMBER Alerts were determined to be hoaxes, representing 4% of the total number of AMBER Alerts issued in 2006. In 1 case a boy involved in a hoax was murdered by his mother and his mother's boyfriend.

In 2006, 27 AMBER Alerts were determined to be unfounded, which represents 10% of the total number of AMBER Alerts issued.

Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, girls represented 57% of children involved in AMBER Alerts and boys comprised 43%. There was no age information for 4% of children. Children of all ages were involved in AMBER-Alert cases issued in 2006. Boys and girls who were 5 years old and younger represented 58% of the children who were reported missing with known ages.

Girls younger than 1 and 16 years old were most frequently involved in AMBER Alerts. Among the girls younger than 1, 3 girls were involved in cases later determined to be hoaxes and 1 girl was involved in a case later determined to be unfounded. Four (4) 16-year-old girls were involved in cases subsequently classified as unfounded, and 2, 16-year-old girls were involved in cases subsequently classified as hoaxes. One (1) case involving a 16-year-old girl remains active. In addition 4 cases of girls age 3 and younger remain active.

Boys were subjects of AMBER Alerts most frequently for ages 3 and younger, which represents 52% of all the boys with known ages for whom AMBER Alerts were issued in 2006. One (1) boy was involved in a case later determined to be a hoax, and no boys were involved in cases determined to be unfounded. Six (6) cases involving 6 boys ages 3 and younger still remain active.

Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2006, 47% of children involved in AMBER Alerts were White, 29% were Black, 19% were Hispanic, 2% were Biracial, 1% were Asian, and American Indian children represented less than 1%. AMBER Alerts were issued for 47% of White children and minority children represented approximately 52%.

Two hundred fifty-seven (257) abductors were documented as being involved in AMBER-Alert cases in 2006. The majority of abductors were male at 66%, and 32% of abductors were female. The sex of 2% of abductors is unknown. Thirty-four percent (34% of abductors were White, 27% of abductors were Black, 20% of abductors were Hispanic, 2% were Asians, less than 1% were Biracial, and the race for 17% was unknown.

Of the 261 AMBER Alerts issued involving 316 children a total of 171 abductors had known relationships with the children at the time of activation and 6 relationships were subsequently determined. An AMBER-Alert case may have multiple abductors involved; therefore, the number of abductors involved in a type of case may exceed the number of cases.

Fifty (50) AMBER Alerts were issued within 3 hours from when the child was reported missing, with 49 cases resolved and 1 case active. Thirty-five (35) cases were activated within 4 to 6 hours from when the child was reported missing, and 29 cases were issued within 7 to 12 hours.