460,000 children go missing every year in the US. The Amber Alert specifices on abductions only. Of the 460,000 children that go missing, 260,000 of them are known abductions.
These large numbers are only in the United States, and yet the Amber Alert has only recovered 1,186 children since its conception back in 1996.
From Amber-Alert Report 2006
From Amber-Alert Report 2022
The Amber-Alert reports shown compare the earliest (2006) to latest (2022) information available to the public. From the reports, it is shown that even back in 2006, only 261 alerts were activated in the US and State territories. This number of activations is smaller in 2022 with a total of 181 activations.
So why are these numbers so low? Why hasn't the Amber Alert saved more children?
"Whenever I give a talk about the AMBER Alert system, I feel like the bad guy. We all want it to work. But wanting doesn't make it so. I don't like being the bearer of bad news, but I don't think we're getting a whole lot from AMBER Alerts."
-Timothy Griffin, assistant professor of criminal justice at UNR
“In the other 80 percent of cases, the youngsters were taken by a relative (most often a parent) or an acquaintance (frequently a babysitter). While such incidents can be traumatic to both the child and the custodial parent, they are routinely resolved peacefully. Griffin's data suggests that, in at least a few cases, the AMBER Alert prompted these non-violent abductors to return the child sooner than they otherwise would have. A large sign over the freeway announcing the police are looking for you can certainly focus one's attention.”
-AMBER ALERTS LARGELY INEFFECTIVE, STUDY SHOWS, Pacific Standard
The Amber Alert specifies in the more serious abduction cases. When law enforcement believes that the child's life is in imminent danger, and the case has all the required criteria, an Amber Alert can be issued. This lowers the cases that can have an Amber Alert substantially.
The criteria is crucial for the information it provides. Without vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers, and other knowledge, the Alert can not be broadcast.
From MACLEANS
The Amber Alert can improve and continue to grow in order to save more lives in the future.
“It restores my faith in humanity. There is so much negative news out there, that when I hear that people are responding to this [the alert] and caring about children, it reinforces to me that there is goodness in everyone, in people, and that there are more good people than bad people out there..."
-Diana Simone