Early this month, many students received an AMBER Alert and were puzzled on why this alert was sent to them, when the missing child, Hailey Owens, was abducted in Springfield. AMBER alerts are issued to use every available resource in a community to help find the missing child. AMBER means ‘Americas Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Alert.’  Many of the AMBER Alerts that are sent out are issued statewide and in surrounding communities. This is to raise awareness for the missing child.

The alert caused different reactions from different students. Junior Katie Henson admitted that the abduction worried her.

   “[The abduction] honestly freaked me out. I was scared for the little girl,” Henson said.

  Sophomore Brett Hoffman’s initial reaction was different.

  “My heart dropped; I immediately prayed for the girl,” Hoffman said.

  However, a parent’s perspective is different.

  “If I had a child that was taken or abducted, I would want a press release like that. I think it is just awesome to bring awareness, especially in that immediate area,” math teacher Stephanie Grisham said.

  There is speculation that the AMBER alert system is ineffective. They often come at inconvenient times very early in the morning. People wonder how they could do anything when a child was taken hundreds of miles away. Henson disagrees.

  “I really do [think it’s a good system.] If everyone gets it then more people will be looking,” Henson said.

  Effective it has been. According to the United States Department of Justice, the government agency who is responsible for issuing the alerts, 679 children have been found due to AMBER Alerts. For an AMBER alert to be issued there is a certain criteria that has to be met. There must be reasonable evidence that a child was abducted, the child must be under seventeen, and there must be significant risk of harm or death to the victim for law enforcement to issue and alert.

  According to amberalert.com, there were a total of 4 AMBER alerts in 2013 in Missouri. In 2014, there have already been 4 AMBER alerts issued. The total number of alerts for Missouri have averaged around the same year to year. However, this year it seems as if there is a shocking increase. Teach young children in your life about stranger danger and what they can do to get out of sticky situations. Awareness saves lives.

  If you did not receive an AMBER alert and would like to, to turn them on on iPhone, go the settings app, click notifications, scroll to the bottom and to the Government alerts section and turn on AMBER alerts. To turn on alerts for a Galaxy or Nexus phone, go to the messaging app and tap the menu button. Tap settings and scroll down to emergency alerts. Go the AMBER Alerts and check the box.

  It is always recommended that if you see what you think is an abduction occurring to contact local police and make sure to give a vehicle description.