AMBER Alert Bill Approved

The California Senate has approved a bill to require all local law enforcement agencies to issue the Emergency Alert System when a child is taken.

The vote comes just one day after the Amber Alert was used to help rescue a ten-year-old Riverside girl who was allegedly taken from her bedroom by her baby sitter.

The bill will force local enforcement agencies to send out a report through Emergency Digital Information Services, which is a fax or e-mail sent to participating news organizations.

Following that, the agency can turn the work over the California Highway Patrol or send out the EAS, a series of broadcast tones and information about the kidnapping to broadcast stations. Then an Amber Alert will be issued, sending information to over 500 electronic highway signs across the state.