The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recognizes National AMBER Alert Awareness Day on January 13, 2024, in remembrance of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman who went missing in Texas and was found deceased five days later in 1996. In 1996, the AMBER Alert program was developed in her memory to create a network between law enforcement, broadcasting partners, and the public to share information in the event of a child abduction.
Since its inception, the AMBER Alert program (nationally):
- Has been credited with the successful rescue of 1,161 children. WEA messages (cell phone alerts) are credited for the successful rescue of at least 149 of those children.
Since 2002, Colorado has activated 112 AMBER Alerts.
Colorado follows the US Department of Justice criteria (National Guidelines for Issuing AMBER Alerts) for the activation of the AMBER Alert system:
- The abducted child must be 17 years of age or younger;
- The abducted child must be in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death;
- There must be enough descriptive information available to believe a broadcast will assist or aid in the recovery; and
- The activation must be requested by a local law enforcement agency or AMBER designee from another state.