The AMBER Plan is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.

Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the Emergency Broadcast System, to air a description of the abducted child and suspected abductor. This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies. The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the child.

FORMATION OF NEBRASKA'S AMBER PLAN:

In April of 2002, Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg brought together representatives of the law enforcement community and broadcasters to discuss the possibility of implementing a Nebraska AMBER Alert Plan. Nebraska State Patrol personnel were involved from the start, helping to formulate Nebraska's AMBER plan. The patrol also plays an important role in activating an alert if needed. In Nebraska, alerts begin at the local level when a law enforcement agency responds to a child abduction that meets the Nebraska AMBER Plan criteria. That agency contacts the Nebraska State Patrol Headquarters Troop Area Communication Center. An AMBER Plan verification officer from the Patrol then confirms that the criteria are met and contacts Nebraska ETV to deliver the alert to broadcasters across the state through the Emergency Alert System (EAS).