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Commonly
Asked Questions
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"I've heard somewhere else about the Amber Plan. What is it?"
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The Amber Plan is just that ... "a plan".
It's a written procedure that was proposed back in 1996 around the Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
area where, in the case of a missing or abducted child, local law enforcement agencies
would follow a set of certain criteria and contact specific radio stations who would then
in turn notify the public of the alert.
Abduction Central Alert© is the most advance implementation
of the Amber Plan
The Amber Plan
is a method, ACA© is the VEHICLE!!!
The Child Alert Foundation incorporated the principals of the "Amber Plan"
shortly after it was proposed and was the first to automate the entire procedure in 1998 by
creating a software program called the Abduction Central Alert (ACA) © system. In fact, the first version of our application was initially copyrighted as the "Amber Alert" but as we learned of other high profile abductions from other states, we renamed the program in honor of ALL children to Abduction Central Alert.
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"Didn't the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) create the Amber Plan?"
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No, the Amber Plan was proposed in 1996 in the Dallas/Ft Worth, TX area. The NCMEC is one of many organizations that supports and promotes it.
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"How is Abduction Central Alert© different from the Amber Plan?"
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Abduction Central Alert© (ACA) is the Amber Plan on steroids. The original version of the "plan" focused entirely on radio. During
an alert, the police were instructed to fax the information to two primary radio stations.
Those two primary contacts would in turn verify the receipt and accuracy of the fax and
then alert other participating radio stations through subsequent fax transmissions. Although
effective, it's a manual process, repetitive and time consuming.
Abduction Central Alert© (ACA) is a fully automated process where the
information has only to be entered once and then sent to any number of contacts.
Additionally, the ACA© system does not just alert radio stations, but notifies television
stations, adjacent police stations, and community support organizations all
at once. The ACA system not only sends faxes, but activates pagers, builds
website posters, and sends emails and updates a Calendar of Events that
is posted on the Child Alert Foundation site for the general public to see.
While the Amber Plan was first proposed back in 1996, it was the Child Alert Foundation that was the first organization to automate the process and made it five times more effective. For years CAF has been the leading Amber Alert provider and with the Abduction Central Alert (ACA) umbrella of products, is helping to standardize Amber Alerts and provide the best software engine to keep your community informed.
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"Our community implemented the Amber Plan before learning of
Abduction Central Alert ©. Do we use one or the other?"
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This should not be a question of using one or the other. The Amber Plan is a
"procedure" while the Abduction Central Alert (ACA)© program
is a "vehicle " that best implements that procedure and incorporates new
technology that improves the alert procedure many times over.
The fact that your community has taken a proactive approach to help prevent child
abductions should be applauded. Utilizing the "plan" is a good initial step;
incorporating the Abduction Central Alert (ACA)© system into your
community will provide a faster, more effective alert process that will only strengthen
and automate the manual procedures that your community has already established.
Consider This:
Over six years ago the IBM computer was 8 Mhz and DOS based. Computers today are 1.2 GigHz or better and use Windows. Would you rather go back and use DOS to do your work now? Sending just a fax or email that was a good idea years ago is not necessarily the best idea today!
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"Our facility is already using a stand alone system to send faxes, isn't this adequate?"
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First of all, YOU (the police or sheriff's dept.) are paying for all of your own faxes. Second, most faxed based applications send their alerts to a static distribution list that alert a wide area whether they need it or not which only contributes to their continued or hidden costs.
CAF as a service charity, covers the cost of each alert and sends any faxes via ACA© to a dynamic and targeted 100 mile "Zone of Influence". Faxes are only a fraction of the alert process provided by Abduction Central Alert (ACA)© system. Instead of relying on only one form of alert notification, ACA© does faxes, pagers, email, Internet alarms and much more.
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"Why aren't faxes adequate enough for alerting others?" |
Many agencies are finally realizing that they can use more than one alert method. Unfortunately, others are being lulled to believe that sending just a fax meets their requirements. One organization used to charge over $6,500 dollars and force their clients to buy a dedicated machine and tie up a dedicated phone line just to scan and send out faxes that could easily be accomplished for a fraction of the cost.
The Abduction Central Alert © program does not rely upon any one given means
of alert. While a fax is effective, it can also jam, get lost or sit there unattended for
any length of time before someone retrieves it. By additionally sending emails, and
activating pagers, the ACA© system increases the odds of getting through to the proper
individuals to get the alert out to your community faster.
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"How can I make my neighborhood CAF Safe?" |
You can help make the ACA© program a tremendous success by contacting your local law
enforcement, radio station or city council and tell them that you support the Abduction
Central Alert © system and encourage them to contact the Child Alert Foundation to get the
software installed and operational in your community.
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