Amber Alert Criteria

In deciding to activate the plan, police must consider the following criteria:

• The child should be 17 years of age or younger, or with a proven mental or physical disability, and
• Police must believe the child is in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death.

The plan is not intended to be used for runaways. And, while each case must be judged individually, most child custody situations do not qualify.

Silver Alert Criteria

Wandering impacts families and caregivers statewide, affecting those who suffer with various mental conditions, to include Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The state’s Silver Alert program was created by Texas legislation in year 2007, designed to notify the public of missing older adults with a documented mental condition.

The below represents Silver Alert criteria for the state’s network:

• Is the missing person 65 years of age or older?
• Does the senior citizen have a diagnosed impaired mental condition, and does the senior citizen’s disappearance pose a credible threat to the senior citizen’s health and safety? (Law enforcement shall require the family or legal guardian of the missing senior citizen to provide documentation from a medical or mental health professional of the senior citizen’s condition).
• Is it confirmed that an investigation has taken place verifying that the senior citizen’s disappearance is due to his/her impaired mental condition, and alternative reasons for the senior citizen’s disappearance have been ruled out?
• Is the Silver Alert request within 72 hours of the senior citizen’s disappearance?
• Is there sufficient information available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the senior citizen? (Highway signs will be activated only if accurate vehicle information is available AND it is confirmed that the senior citizen was driving the vehicle at the time of the disappearance).

Note: A physician’s letterhead, indicating the impaired mental condition, date of diagnosis, patient’s name, with physician’s signature is recommended to satisfy the documentation requirement.

Silver Alert – Public Resources:

• Receive Alerts
• Alert Programs Brochure
• Contact Us

Amber Alert FAQ’s

Who Activates the Amber Plan?

Police in the city or town where the incident occurs must decide if the case fits the criteria for activation (see Amber Plan Criteria). The radio and TV stations that broadcast the bulletin material do not participate in the decision-making process.

How are Amber Plan Bulletins Distributed to the Various Radio and TV Stations?

All participating police departments have been provided with dedicated fax line numbers for WBAP and KRLD radio stations. When a police department decides to activate the Amber Plan, they send the two stations a written description of the child, the suspect, the suspect vehicle, the time and place of the incident, and any other relevant information. The two stations quickly verify the activation. Then, using the Emergency Activation System, an audio bulletin containing the police information is sent simultaneously to all participating radio and TV stations in Dallas/Fort Worth. The bulletin is originated by WBAP and KSCS radio stations because of their designation as the “primary” EAS outlets for the Dallas/Fort Worth listening area. Once the bulletin is received, all Amber Plan radio and TV stations break from regular programming and repeatedly broadcast the information to listeners and viewers.

What Does EAS Stand For?

EAS stands for Emergency Activation System. It is more commonly used for the broadcast of severe weather and other civil emergencies. Each radio and TV station must have a working EAS monitor on-site in order to receive an operating license from the Federal Communications Commission.

Is the EAS Always Ready For Use?

Yes. Amber Plan bulletins go out to all participating radio and TV stations regardless of station format or time of day.

Are Police Departments Charged a Fee for Amber Plan Activations or Involvement?

No. Police participation in the Amber Plan is free and open to any department in the North Texas area. Radio and TV station participation is voluntary and is done as a public service without commercial endorsement.

Who Oversees the Amber Plan?

The Association of Radio Managers (ARMS) oversees the effort. To assure that Amber Plan bulletins are distributed in a timely fashion, ARMS conducts quarterly tests of the EAS-Amber Plan notification process. To assure that police are following the guidelines for use, a committee of police officers meets each quarter to review all activations for the previous three months. The broadcast outlets do not participate in the decision to activate, and they have no role in the police review committee process.

Amber Alert History

In response to community concern, the Association of Radio Managers (ARMS), with the direct assistance of law enforcement, created the Amber Plan to provide listeners across North Texas with timely information about area child abductions. In 1999, area TV stations joined area radio stations in the immediate broadcast of Amber Plan bulletins.

Today, the Amber Plan is in place in more than 40 police departments in North Texas. And, once a participating department decides to activate the plan, dozens of Dallas/Fort Worth radio and TV stations relay information about the case to millions of residents.