Feds
initiate talks to bring Amber Alert to Indian Country
By ASSOCIATED
PRESS
July 20, 2006
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The U.S. Department of Justice announced
Wednesday that it has been talking with tribal leaders
about the possibility of bringing the Amber Alert system
to reservations across the country.
"Tribes
can play an important part in strengthening our Amber
Alert network," said Regina Schofield, assistant
attorney general for the Office of Justice Programs.
"Amber Alert has shown itself to be a strong criminal
deterrent, and any time crime is deterred, the quality
of life goes up."
Schofield
said she's confident it would have the same effect on
Indian land.
Amber Alerts
are issued by law enforcement to the media when authorities
suspect a child has been abducted and is considered
to be in danger.
Schofield
also met Wednesday with Navajo Nation President Joe
Shirley Jr., Navajo Division of Public Safety Director
Samson Cowboy and other officials in the tribal capital
of Window Rock, Ariz., to discuss the Amber Alert program.
George Hardeen,
a spokesman for Shirley, described it as "primarily
a get-acquainted meeting."
The Navajo
reservation covers an area larger than West Virginia
and it's common to drive for an hour between towns.
It would benefit from being part of the Amber Alert
system, Hardeen said.
"It
(an alert) gets to the media; that's the important thing,"
he said. The Navajo Nation's AM radio station, KTNN,
covers the entire reservation and beyond, for example.
People could
telephone alerts about missing children to Navajo police,
Hardeen said. He also noted the reservation has one
of the largest wireless networks in the nation, with
every chapter house - similar to local government divisions
- set up for wireless Internet. Navajo police also have
wireless in their patrol cars, he said.
As of last
year, all 50 states had statewide Amber Alert plans
in place so all levels of state law enforcement know
when a child is abducted.
To create
a seamless network across the country, Schofield said
she's encouraging tribes to develop their own plans
that are tailored to their specific needs.
Schofield
has met with tribal leaders while in New Mexico and
spoke with state Amber Alert coordinators to encourage
them to work with tribes.
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On the Net:
Amber Alert:
http://www.amberalert.org
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