Amber Alerts

Amber Alert Plan is a statewide notification program to help locate abducted and endangered children within the first 24-hours which are the most critical hours in an abduction.

The power of free, over-the-air electronic media is the best way to quickly reach Indiana citizens who may have information leading to the return of a missing or abducted child. Through the Indiana Amber Alert Plan, listeners and viewers will become the eyes and ears for police, and hopefully aid in the return of the child.

Each city or state's Amber Plan program is administered separately in accordance with EAS procedures approved by the FCC. Each program establishes its own Amber Alert criteria, activation procedures, and distribution methods.

For example, the Indiana Amber Alert Plan has four Alert criteria:

1. The child must be under 18 years of age
2. The child must be believed to be abducted, and in danger of serious bodily harm or death.
3. There must be enough descriptive information to believe the broadcast will help.
4. Request must be recommended by the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction.

Missing adults and runaways do NOT qualify for Amber Alert activitation in Indiana. Children taken in child custody disputes generally will not qualify for an Amber Alert unless there is specific credible information indicating a child may be in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.

The Amber Alert Plan in Indiana distributes Amber Alerts using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), but also integrates broadcast fax, e-mail, broadcast station news sources and the amberalertindiana.com web site

For more information on the Amber Alert Plan in Indiana contact: The Indiana State Police Missing Children @ 317-232-8310.

Download a copy of the Amber Alert Indiana Engrossed Senate Bill 20.

The Amber Plan is endorsed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This non-profit center was founded by John Walsh after the abduction and murder of his son, Adam. John is also the host of "America's Most Wanted" television program.

In February 2002 the FCC amended its rules for the Emergency Alert System to add a new Child Abduction Emergency (CAE) event code which may be used to activate the Amber Alert Plan messages. The FCC has "strongly encouraged" radio, TV stations and cable outlets to voluntarily use the new CAE event code as soon as their EAS encode/decorder equipment can be modified.

Visit the FCC's website (www.fcc.gov) for more information about the Emergency Alert System.

Silver Alerts

The Indiana General Assembly established the Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults in 2009. The Clearinghouse is intended to serve as the state central repository for all information on missing children and missing endangered adults from Indiana or believed to be in Indiana. The program is designed to collect, store, and disseminate information on missing children and missing and endangered adults. The Clearinghouse provides liaison among citizens, private organizations, and law enforcement agencies regarding missing children information.

A toll-free telephone number (1-800-831-8953) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to receive immediate sighting information on possible missing children and missing endangered adults, to receive any related lead information, to receive recovery information, and to respond to requests for information and assistance.

The Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults publishes a quarterly missing children bulletin and a quarterly missing endangered adults bulletin. This bulletin includes names, photographs, and physical descriptions of missing children and missing endangered adults. Bulletins are distributed to a wide variety of law enforcement agencies, organizations, state, local, and federal agencies, and individuals concerned with the problem of missing children and missing endangered adults.

The Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults works closely with television and radio stations, newspapers, and others to understand the real issue of missing children and missing endangered adults and the full scope of the problem.

The Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults actively participates in networking and coordinated exchange of information with other state clearinghouses and law enforcement agencies. The Clearinghouse provides referrals to other state clearinghouses, when appropriate, and provides liaison between other state agencies with regard to missing children and missing endangered adults and maintains a resource list of public and private agencies that can provide assistance in this area.

If any additional information is desired about the Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults, please contact:

Indiana State Police
Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults
100 N. Senate Avenue, 3rd Floor North
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2259
(317) 232-2929
1-800-831-8953