The recent case of two missing children from Washington has raised fresh questions about the Amber Alert system. The brother and sister from Pierce County were located and are safe, but their disappearance did not trigger an Amber Alert.
The siblings were allegedly taken by their mother who has supervised visitation rights, but not custody. Family members reported the mother might be suicidal.
Police considered the children endangered and, in the past, might have issued an Amber Alert that would have flashed across TV screens, radios, cell phones, and highway billboards. But Bob Calkins with the Washington State Patrol says now there’s another option.
“We would like to see the Amber Alert reserved for those most egregious cases where we know a child is in extreme danger,” said Calkins.
Those cases include the recent case of Hannah Anderson, who was rescued in the mountains of Idaho after being abducted California.
Police in Washington now have an option that’s one step short of an Amber Alert called an Endangered Missing Person Advisory. It allows for some, but not all, of the Amber Alert notifications to be used.
As of now, Oregon and Idaho do not have this additional option.
