Currently, 55 law-enforcement agencies and 30 broadcasters are participating in North Carolina’s version of AMBER Alert, a method for local broadcasters to immediately notify listeners to be on the look out for abducted children. The program will be expanded to other cities and counties during the next two years.
“It is imperative that North Carolina has a viable Child Alert Notification System to protect our children,” Easley said. “I applaud the broadcasters for joining forces with state government to expand this notification system and keep our children protected. Through this partnership, we can get information regarding abducted children out quickly and increase the chance of a safe return.”
The system is a cooperative effort between North Carolina radio and television broadcasters, local police departments and sheriff’s offices, and the N.C. Center for Missing Persons, a section of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.
NC CAN was used for the first time in June 2002 when a Franklin County infant was taken by her babysitter. A friend of the woman heard the NC CAN broadcast and the babysitter turned herself in and returned the child unharmed.
A 2002 U.S. Department of Justice study shows that in 1999, there were 115 high-profile criminal abduction cases. Forty percent of those children were murdered, usually within 24 hours.
“The alerts will be carefully screened to ensure that when used, they will be for actual abductions and not runaways,” said Perry Stewart, director for the N.C. Center for Missing Persons. “We hope this system will be used infrequently, but having it in place may save the life of a child.”
Legislation for the establishment of NC CAN passed in the 2002 legislative session allowing the N.C. Center for Missing Persons to accept private donations to expand the program statewide. The center received a $212,000 federal grant in December, made possible in part by leveraging a $150,000 donation from Revival Soy, a family-owned business in Kernersville.
“Public-private partnerships such as this are becoming increasingly important due to recent budget constraints,” said Bryan Beatty, secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety. “I offer a heartfelt thanks to the Tabor family, owners of Revival Soy, who saw a need in the community and responded with a generous donation. I hope their community service spirit serves as an example for other corporations.”
The donations from Revival Soy and the grant of federal funds through the Governor’s Crime Commission, a division of Crime Control and Public Safety, will be used to hire two employees for a two-year period to assist in the expansion effort, purchase technology equipment and print promotional materials.
