With January 13th being National Amber Alert Awareness Day, police agencies from around the province are detailing the complexity of the investigation that commences following the issuance of an Amber Alert.
RCMP Spokesperson Kelly Michaud says there is a strict set of criteria that needs to be met in order for an Amber Alert to be issued. The missing person must be under 18 or have a significant disability, they have to have been abducted, there must be enough descriptive information about the victim’s appearance that the public could identify them, and the alert needs to be issued in a time frame that would allow for the apprehension of the abductor.
If all four boxes can be checked off, a communications specialist will generate a brief written alert which is then broadcast to all cell phones in the province. An automated ‘intrusive broadcast’ alert is also played on all radios and televisions.
Michaud says these alerts are only able to contain 900 characters, making them quite tricky to write.
“So, we have to be very succinct, include the most important information, and sometimes they have to be a little bit short. Obviously, we aren’t writing in full sentences most of the time and only include the most pertinent information.”
She says ideally, an alert should be written and broadcast within 15 to 20 minutes of determining the situation meets Amber Alert criteria, which takes a great deal of agility and organization. There are numerous other moving parts being completed as the alert is being written, as well.
“We’ll have someone writing a news release to go along with it. Social media (will be updated). We’ll start preparing for a press conference pretty well right away. We will do anything to make sure we get the child or children or person home safely.”
Behind the scenes, investigators are conducting interviews, following up on tips, reviewing security footage, and anything else that would assist in finding the victim.
Police agencies welcome all tips from the public regarding Amber Alert investigations, however receiving a large number of tips is quite resource intensive, as each one must be investigated and deemed credible or not.
The process wraps up just as quickly as it started, as an update will be broadcast immediately after the victim is found.
Since 2020, 7 Amber Alerts have been issued across Saskatchewan, and only one was issued in 2024.
