With Jan. 13 being National AMBER Alert Awareness Day, local and area police forces met in Saskatoon and Regina to discuss the rarely used, but important program.
Officers explained the process and timelines of an AMBER Alert, as well as the criteria for triggering one using a fictional scenario.
It’s a partnership between law enforcement agencies across the province, the media and the public to broadcast time-sensitive information that can help in locating an abducted person.
“The AMBER Alert process is all about the public,” said deputy chief Warren Morrical of the Estevan Police Service. “At this point, police are wonderful at making their own observations when they’re out on the street or investigating. But the public’s eyes are what are going to assist us to identify those one-of locations where, I noticed someone.”
Police say not all missing persons cases meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert.
“That’s not to say that missing persons are not important,” said Deputy Chief Farica Prince, Prince Albert Police Service. “Those investigations are just handled differently with different tools. An AMBER Alert is a tool for the investigators to help bring our victims home safely.”
All four of the following criteria are needed for police to trigger an AMBER Alert:
- The missing person is under 18 years of age or an individual living with a significant cognitive, physical or intellectual disability.
- An investigation has confirmed either abduction by a stranger or abduction (parental or non-parental) where circumstances lead police to believe that an abducted person is in danger of bodily harm or death.
- There is enough descriptive information about the abducted person, the abductor or suspect vehicle to ensure the public can identify these elements.
- The alert can be issued in a time frame that would provide a reasonable expectation that the abducted person could be returned or the abductor could be apprehended.
Once those criteria are met, police can issue an alert in as little as 15 minutes.
“We want to make sure that we can do anything to get the child or children or person home safely,” said Kelly Michaud, RCMP spokesperson. “So we start as soon as we get that notification, and as soon as it’s approved, we’re running to get that out.”
Law enforcement agencies can issue AMBER Alerts through the SaskAlert app or through phone providers, or by interrupting a TV or radio broadcast.
The final piece is the participation from members of the public, who can offer valuable information for law enforcement agencies to follow up on.
“If you think you have information, call 90101 and we will make the determination on whether that is actionable or not,” said superintendent Tonya Gresty, Saskatoon Police Service. “So, when in doubt, give us a call.”
Police say there was one AMBER Alert issued in Saskatchewan in 2024.
