The point of our dismay is Relisha losing her AA status so quietly, without any explanation from LE or the NCMEC for that matter. For such a high profile case, this is worrying. It is also part of a disturbing trend. If you will note the posts upthread, the names of other children this happened to are noted. What are the protocols for removing a child's AA status? Does anyone know? That status is very important IMO. #Find Relisha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
my bolds
Sorry, Kimi, but I haven't been able to pin down the protocol. But I believe LE has specific criteria which are not meant to be used as public information. This is just a guess. The statements I've run into have been carefully worded to state that the AA will be used as long as it is both needed and is effective as an LE investigative tool. The protocol for activation and for following deactivation are pretty clear. Just not the criteria for ordering the deactivation of the Amber Alert itself. I think we're wondering why the recommended public thanking of the various AA partners was done so quietly (if at all) in this case. Again, JMO.
Below is information regarding Amber Alerts in British Columbia sent to the Transit Police who are responsible for security of buses, sea-buses (passenger ferries between North Van and Vancouver), and Skytrains (hence the nickname Sky Cops for those covering our Light Rail Transit system). [Usually I know an Amber Alert is in effect in BC when I notice the announcements running on the buses--all the buses display Amber Alert information on the bus destination signs.] Several paragraphs are redacted, but, in reading it, I got a much better appreciation for the complexity of the process for a force partnering the primary police force involved in sending out an Amber Alert notification.
In BC the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) E Division Major Crime Section--BC Police Missing Persons Centre is responsible for the Amber Alert Program in the province. The Sky Cops, et al, like the Vancouver Police Department, New Westminster Police, and so on, are partners with the RCMP in the Amber Alert System.
1. RCMP “E” Division Major Crime Section – BC Police Missing Persons Center is responsible for the AMBER (America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert Program for both the Division RCMP and BC police agencies. All requests for an AMBER Alert must be made through the AMBER Alert line (1-888-542-6237) and meet the criteria and be recommended by the police service commander/designate.
1. The Amber Alert Program is administered by the RCMP “E” Division AMBER Alert Coordinator who also provides training and consultation.
2. Approval of AMBER Alerts throughout BC will be undertaken by the RCMP Lower Mainland District Regional Duty Officer (RDO)/designate.
http://www.transitpolice.bc.ca/~/me...es/ob400 amber alert tp101213 redacted.ashx
AMBER Alert is a province-wide, innovative partnership that involves:
law enforcement agencies in BC
BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
BC Association of Broadcasters,
Canada’s wireless telecommunications industry,
Child Find BC, and
an ever expanding list of external partners.
http://bc.cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=23&languageId=1&contentId=4697
Regarding the length of an Amber Alert for a particular child, the RCMP is not specific.
The duration of an alert will depend on the circumstances surrounding the abduction and will vary from one incident to the next.
http://bc.cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=23&languageId=1&contentId=4697
I would point out that there is a heading called Cancellation Criteria in the Transit Police Document under which there are two sections. "19. One or more of the following criteria must exist before cancelling an AMBER Alert:" and "20. An AMBER Alert may be cancelled only by the Watch Commander and only when the cancellation criteria exist." The paragraphs under those headings have been redacted. A little more clarity is found in a document from RCMP regarding Amber Alerts.
When an AMBER Alert is activated, broadcast media will interrupt their regular programming. They will air the Amber Alert at various timelines for approximately six hours or until such time as the Alert is cancelled either upon the successful conclusion of the investigation or when the Alert is considered no longer effective.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/mb/prog-serv/alerte-amber-alert-eng.htm
Recently, reporters were asking LE similar questions about deactivating the Amber Alert for Nathan O'Brien when, although the alleged murder of the five year old boy and his grandparents had been arrested, the bodies have not yet been found. This had been done despite the knowledge of another aspect of Amber Alert protocol in the U.S.
The AMBER Alert should be deactivated when the child is recovered even if the suspect is still at large. The deactivation of an AMBER Alert will likely lead to additional responsibilities for the PIO.
http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/232271.pdf
Calgary LE responded to reporters' questions.
Investigators met with Crown prosecutors on Sunday to go over evidence that had been gathered over the two weeks, he said. They determined charges were warranted. An Amber Alert issued shortly after the family members were reported missing was also cancelled.
“It was clear at that point that this was no longer a missing persons investigation. This was a homicide investigation,” Hanson said...
Despite the charges, the police chief said the case is not closed and investigators will continue to search for bodies of little Nathan and his grandparents.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada...ary-boy-grandparents-still-hope-they-re-alive
The Department of Justice publishes a very informative downloadable epamphlet called Amber Alert Best Practices.
http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/232271.pdf
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention also publishes an epamphlet. Theirs is called Missing and Abducted Children: A Law-Enforcement Guide to Case Investigation and Program Management.
http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC74.pdf
The following information is published by the government of Indiana.
When is an Amber Alert terminated?
An Amber Alert runs for 5 hours from the initial EAS alert. The first few hours are the most crucial. Under normal circumstances, the Amber Alert should be considered complete 5 hours after the initial EAS activation. The two exceptions to this rule would be if the IASAC receiver’s enough new or updated information to issue a new EAS activation. The process starts over from that time. The other exception would occur if the IASAC was to determine that conditions warranted an early termination. Stations would receive a fax advising the case has been resolved and the Amber Alert notification would be removed from the state’s Amber Alert website.
STATIONS SHOULD NOT REPORT THE TERMINATION OF AN AMBER ALERT UNTIL NOTIFIED OF TERMINATION BY THE INDIANA AMBER and SILVER ALERT CENTER (IASAC).
http://www.in.gov/amberalert/2339.htm
It just seems that Amber Alerts must be flexible in order to be used to help those whom it was designed to protect. However, maybe posters with a LE background will shed more light on this very complex system.
