| A Child is Missing Alert Program |
|
A child goes missing every 40 seconds in the United States. In a 2007 National Autism Association poll, 92% of parents reported that their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a tendency to wander. WIth little public understanding about ASD-related wandering and resources to combat the occurrences, the Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council (AIACC) and the Autism Society of Alabama (ASA) announce an Alabama Autism Safety Campaign. The first initiative of the Safety Campaign is utilizing A Child is Missing, a nation-wide program that is free to all law enforcement agencies. A Child is Missing is one of the fastest and most effective programs law enforcement can activate in the first critical minutes after a child is reported to be missing. In face, when a registered law enforcement agency calls A Child is Missing, 1000 phone calls can be generated in 60 seconds. Law enforcement provides a description of the missing person, their location and other pertinent information (e.g. "This child has autism and may not respond when you call his name!"). The information goes into a sophisticated computer program, the calling area is established, and an audio message is quickly disseminated in the calling area. Although unlisted and cell phone numbers are not included in the database, we are encouraging all of our families to register those numbers in the database at A Child is Missing website (www.achildismissing.org). Adding to its effectiveness, A Child is Missing is not restrained by jurisdictional boundaries, which permits alert calls to be made across city, county, and state lines. Fortunately, a number of Alabama law enforcement agencies are already registered with A Child is Missing. In fact, you can read success stories at the A Child is Missing website. However, we still have many law enforcement agencies that need to register with A Child is Missing for the program to become statewide, our first Safety Campaign goal. If you would like to help with this effort: Visit see the resources below (which is also available at www.autism.alabama.gov) and follow these steps:
|