Congress Poised to Slash Amber Alert Funding
Children’s lifesaving program may get the axe. National campaign launched to Save our National Amber Alert.
Petaluma, CA (PRWEB via PR Web
Direct) November 18, 2004 -- The National Amber Alert plan is in jeopardy.
Congress is poised to eliminate funding for National Amber Alert, which is the
best tool law enforcement has ever had to bring home missing children. The
crisis also threatens to eliminate the programs that support training,
development, and coordination of law enforcement investigations for missing
children.
In response, the Polly Klaas Foundation has launched a national
campaign asking Americans to take action immediately and write their
Congressional representatives urging them to support President Bush’s budget
recommendations to help missing and exploited children.
Citizens can
easily send these letters online using special software tools provided by the
Polly Klaas Foundation at this location: http://ga0.org/campaign/save_amber_alert
Last month,
two little Kentucky girls were kidnapped by their father after he murdered their
sister. An Amber Alert was issued describing the father's car. While driving
across Kentucky, a motorist took note of the Amber Alert on several electronic
highway signs. After crossing the state line into Ohio, she spotted the father's
car and dialed 9-1-1. Ohio authorities quickly arrived on the scene, and after a
brief high-speed chase, recovered the little girls.
If we did not have
Amber Alert coordination between states' law enforcement agencies, these two
little girls might have met the same fate as their sister. These girls are among
the 174 children who have been saved by Amber Alerts. Now those alerts and other
valuable tools for recovering missing children are in jeopardy.
“You
have an opportunity to help save the best tool law enforcement has ever had to
bring our missing kids home: the National Amber Alert,” says Paula Skuratowicz,
Executive Director of the Polly Klaas Foundation. “We urge people to take action
and use our online tools to send a letter to their Congressional representatives
and President Bush. We also are asking them to use our tell-a-friend feature and
pass on the word about these vital child safety programs.”
President
Bush supports Amber Alerts and programs for missing and exploited children in
his budget recommendations to Congress.
In direct contrast, the Senate
has eliminated funding for Amber Alerts and programs for missing and exploited
children in their recommendations. The House of Representatives has recommended
under-funding these programs.
Immediate response is critical because the
House & Senate conference committee will meet during this current lame duck
session to determine the outcome of the funding of these vital programs.
For more information on what’s at stake, please go to: http://ga0.org/campaign/save_amber_alert
The Polly
Klaas Foundation is known for their advocacy work to deploy Amber Alerts in all
50 states and to establish a national Amber Alert. The Foundation began the
Amber Alert Now campaign in 2002, when only 14 states had Amber Alert plans.
Today there are Amber plans in all 50 states.
To date over 174 American
children have been brought home safely through Amber Alerts. Now that funding
for national Amber Alert coordination is national Amber Alert coordination is in
crisis, the Polly Klaas Foundation is calling for each parent and everyone who
cares about the welfare of children to act now. Use the online tools at http://ga0.org/campaign/save_amber_alert to write
Congressional representatives and let them know that America’s children need to
have a national Amber Alert plan.
“This is an especially appropriate
action to take during this Thanksgiving season and during the month of November,
National Child Safety month,” said Skuratowicz.
Online tools for citizen
activists can be found at: http://ga0.org/campaign/save_amber_alert
The Polly
Klaas Foundation helps find missing children, prevents children from going
missing in the first place, and works with policymakers to pass laws that
protect children. The website is located at www.PollyKlaas.org.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact:
Jenni Thompson
Director of Public Affairs
Polly Klaas
Foundation
707-477-5887
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prweb180473.htm