Smart Smarts over Amber Alert delay
Elizabeth Smart's father yesterday (3/13) put renewed emphasis on Amber Alert legislation - - challenging House Republican leaders to pass the bill. A day after his daughter was found safe in Utah, Ed Smart, on CBS's "The Early Show," said that House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) "was hurting children" by not allowing the Amber Alert to be a standalone bill, rather than part of a larger piece of legislation. An Amber Alert bill has already passed the Senate.
Rep. Sensenbrenner stated on his website that "My Committee has been aggressively working to combat child kidnapping and sex crimes against minors. Yesterday, a Judiciary subcommittee again approved legislation combating child kidnapping including AMBER Alert language. This legislation is at the top of our Committee agenda and I expect the House again to overwhelmingly pass it in the very near future. This legislation would not only get the word out after a kidnapping, but takes strong steps to prevent them from occurring in the first place."
Elizabeth Smart and her alleged abductor were seen by individuals who then contacted police - - Anita and Alvin Dickerson called authorities after identifying the drifter who was suspected in the 15-year-old's disappearance. The investigation by authorities had before been focused on another worker the Smart family had hired at their home. That suspect had died in custody of a brain hemorrhage back in August.
The new leads came after a recent new wave of press coverage about the case, including photos of the new suspect.
The Senate in January already passed legislation to spend over $25M on a national Amber Alert network, including funding to states for training and equipment that might be needed. Chairman Sensenbrenner stated, "The Bush administration has already taken steps to implement the Amber Alert nationwide. Attorney General Ashcroft has designated a national Amber Alert Coordinator at the Justice Department to help create a nationwide Amber alert system. Currently the Justice Department reports there are 87 Amber Alert programs across the country, with 38 of them statewide. The Justice Department reported 47 children have been recovered through the use of these systems as of yesterday."
RBR Observation:
The power of the Amber Alert system is the community involvement of local broadcasters - - both in radio and television - - to get the message out quickly and repeatedly. This quick notification has been proven to work and save lives through empowering everyday citizens with the knowledge of who and what to look for. Go ahead - - pat yourselves on the back.
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