“An incident this weekend highlights how much easier law enforcement’s job is when they get help from the news media through Amber Alerts – and how desperately we need a nationwide alert plan. In Syracuse, a 16-year-old girl was snatched off the street. Police suspect the abductors let her go when they heard a local Amber Alert on the radio.

“This kidnapping could have ended much differently if it weren’t for cooperation between the police, the public and the news media. It’s plain to see that this system saves lives, and I’m proud to have spearheaded the effort to get the Amber Plan passed in New York. It’s imperative for the federal government to get past politics and create a system like this nationwide so we can avert the kinds of tragedies that destroy lives and families.”