I understand the concept - finding people sooner than later is a big plus in situations where children are kidnapped.
However, is it appropriate to give Amber Alerts (on cell phone/radio/TV/freeway signs) when the child in question has been taken by one of the parents?
Yes, there was most certainly a court order allowing the other parent custody, and yes - there could be good reason (mental problems or drug or alcohol problems) with the parent who is on the run with that child.
However, isn’t there some difference between a stranger kidnapping a child than a parent driving off with their kid? I am just wondering if issuing these kinds of Amber Alerts will become a case of “crying wolf” when the person being searched for is the parent of that child, versus some crazed pedophile who has snatched a kid and most likely intends to do far more harm.
Perhaps there are already guidelines in place that I am not aware of - but it seems to me that any spouse could call the police and ask them to issue an Amber Alert if their ex fails to bring the child home directly after school or weekend visitation?
Then again, maybe I am totally off-base and statistics will prove that a parent snatching their child illegally is just as dangerous/life threatening as if a stranger did so?
Amber Alerts are issued at the discretion of the law enforcement agency investigating the case, but there are guidelines they follow. Typically there must be some reason to believe the child is at risk or serious injury or death. For this reason by and large the vast majority of cases in which a non-custodial parent snatches their child do not result in Amber Alerts being issued.
When an Amber Alert is issued in such a situation, it is almost always because there is something about the non-custodial parent to suggest they are dangerous. One example I remember recently, a non-custodial father goes to his ex-wife’s home and kills her, then abducts his child. The child is later recovered and the father arrested, but in that scenario the non-custodial parent is a suspected (highly suspected) murderer, and thus there is real reason to believe he could harm the child. He could have been planning to off himself and take his child with him or etc.
Abduction of children by adult strangers are so rare as to be nearly non-existent.
It’s nearly always a parent, or sometimes a family friend. In all but the rarest cases, it’s someone whom the child knows.
There was a case a few years ago here in Philly. Dad was upset that mom got custody. He put his son in the backseat of his car, drenched him with gasoline and set the boy on fire. Thanks to other people seeing the flames, the boy survived but had third degree burns over seventy percent of his body.IIRC, he also lost his fingers.
So, I guess my answer is- yes, they should issue amber alerts in cases where a parent has illegally taken a child.