Leap Wireless International Inc. announced free Wireless AMBER Alerts for its Cricket customers. Wireless AMBER alerts are short text messages with local information about abducted children.
In May, nine wireless carriers announced they would send text messages to people who opt in to receive Amber Alerts over their cell phones in the culmination of a movement CTIA President Steve Largent began more than a year ago. Alltel Corp., Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Dobson Communications Corp., Rural Cellular Corp., Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc., U.S. Cellular Corp. and Verizon Wireless also are participating.
The carriers are working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and CTIA for the transmission of Wireless AMBER Alerts to registered phones when law enforcement officials issue such alerts. The alerts are specific to up to five ZIP codes elected by customers who opt in to receive the alerts.
“Leap is proud to be a part of the wireless AMBER Alert program aimed at finding and protecting America’s missing children,” said Linda Wokoun, senior vice president of marketing and customer care for Leap. “Immediately getting the word out about a kidnapping to a large population helps authorities track down children and other victims of abduction. With the majority of our customers using Cricket as their primary phone, we feel this is a helpful way to get the word out when an AMBER Alert is issued. We encourage our customers to opt in to the Wireless AMBER Alerts program to help keep our children safe.”
Subscribers with any participating carrier can receive free Amber Alerts by going to www.wirelessamberalerts.org to register their phone numbers. Customers must opt in to receive text messages and updates.
The Wireless AMBER Alerts initiative is a voluntary arrangement among the wireless industry, law-enforcement agencies and NCMEC. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created in 1997 when broadcasters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to find abducted children.
