# I received an amber alert notice **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 16, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635 "2015-12-16T21:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/21 "2015-12-17T20:22:19Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I would be pissed as fuck, then creeped out because not only did I not sign up, but _I also don’t even have a smartphone_. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Lighten up Francis. Somethings the gubmint does to help people other than you. > [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Why would you be “pissed as fuck?” Is a random noise on your phone really that big of a deal? Especially considering it’s about helping a missing child? Maybe I’m the one being whooshed, but I took **TBG** ’s post as a joke, especially in light of the last 7 words (italics mine). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/22 "2015-12-17T22:36:04Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Is a random noise on your phone really that big of a deal? Especially considering it’s about helping a missing child? Yes the fuck it is. Especially at 2am. And what good does it do to get one when I am in bed, and staying there. It’s not like I am going to go out driving around looking for a missing kid. But I guess I must “think of the children”, even if it makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/23 "2015-12-17T22:39:52Z")
I finally found the settings for this, but not in my Settings list, in another separate app. I must say I’m somewhat miffed that the President can text me whenever he wants and I can’t turn him off. Thanks Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/24 "2015-12-18T03:11:16Z")
The only people who need to look at these are criminal pedophiles… they need to know if folks are onto the. If you are not one of them, shut it off. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/25 "2015-12-18T03:57:11Z")
I’m not going to turn them off because a lot of kids have been found by people who had just gotten the alert. I remember one recently where a father and daughter were behind the car, and the daughter called 911 while the father followed at a discreet distance. But here’s an article for y’all: > **[How to Disable Emergency Alerts on Your Smartphone](https://www.howtogeek.com/232505/how-to-disable-emergency-alerts-on-your-smartphone/)** > > AMBER and emergency alerts occur when there’s a child abduction or there’s an important event such as a severe weather alert (tornado warning) that local governments needs to make people aware of. While we don’t recommend... ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/26 "2015-12-18T06:38:37Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I never got one before. If I got one without signing up for anything, I would be a little creeped out. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Yes the fuck it is. Especially at 2am. And what good does it do to get one when I am in bed, and staying there. It’s not like I am going to go out driving around looking for a missing kid. > > But I guess I must “think of the children”, even if it makes no sense. It’s not a fucking newsletter; it’s an emergency broadcast meant to help locate and possibly save the lives of abducted children. God forbid that inconvenience someone who can’t be arsed to silence their phone when they’re sleeping. It’s not like they know who is asleep or not, or expect you to go out if you aren’t already. Honestly the ones I’ve received have been during earlier hours, but no matter what time it is _someone_ is out and about who might be able to spot the kidnapper. Sorry that a child is likely in the middle of being murdered at a time that’s inconvenient for _your personal schedule_. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/27 "2015-12-18T07:10:31Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Yes the fuck it is. Especially at 2am. And what good does it do to get one when I am in bed, and staying there. It’s not like I am going to go out driving around looking for a missing kid. > > But I guess I must “think of the children”, even if it makes no sense. I’m with **JAQ**. The option is there to turn the damn thing off and you shouldn’t be made to feel ashamed for using it. If I’m in bed at 2 am, I’m staying the fuck there. I appreciate the urgency of Amber alerts, but there’s fuck-all I can do about them. Other people are better-qualified and in better positions to give aid. I don’t mind emergency responders sending out the alerts as long as I’m free to silence them on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/28 "2015-12-18T07:40:31Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I appreciate the urgency of Amber alerts, but there’s fuck-all I can do about them. Other people are better-qualified and in better positions to give aid. How on Earth would you know that? What if you are in your car and directly behind the car of the abductor at the time they send out the alert? The only “aid” they are looking for is for someone to call the cops and say “Hey, I think I saw the vehicle”. You aren’t able to do that? There’s no way of knowing who is going to be in the “best position” to help them find the guy because they don’t know where the guy is. That’s the fucking point. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/29 "2015-12-18T07:58:05Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > How on Earth would you know that? What if you are in your car and directly behind the car of the abductor at the time they send out the alert? The only “aid” they are looking for is for someone to call the cops and say “Hey, I think I saw the vehicle”. You aren’t able to do that? > > There’s no way of knowing who is going to be in the “best position” to help them find the guy because they don’t know where the guy is. That’s the fucking point. What if I’m in bed at 2 am? I’m not getting up. What if I’m in front of my TV? What the fuck can I do? I’m not moving off the couch. Like I said, the option is there to turn off the alerts on my phone and I turned them off. _That’s_ the fucking point. Don’t like it? Take me to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/30 "2015-12-18T08:00:00Z")
Sept 11, 2015 > [@](#): > > MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, Md. (WUSA9) – An Amber Alert for a 15-month-old Montgomery County girl has been canceled. > > State authorities say Farah Eva Muhammed was found unharmed in Frederick County, Md. > > Montgomery County police had said her father Jason Kelly, 39, took Muhammed from her home in Montgomery Village. Muhammed is being reunited with her mother, police said. > > Police found the two of them thanks to a citizen who spotted the car Kelly was driving. > > Montgomery County Police responded to the scene to serve Kelly with a protective order and to take custody of the child, authorities said. Kelly was released from the scene without charges. A follow up interview with police revealed that several people called police reporting the car in question, and boxed it in on the side of the road when the opportunity presented itself. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/31 "2015-12-18T13:16:03Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I never got one before. If I got one without signing up for anything, I would be a little creeped out. What have you done with little Amber? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/32 "2015-12-18T14:25:55Z")
She’s no longer Amber, she’s Blue. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/33 "2015-12-18T14:28:16Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > What if you are in your car and directly behind the car of the abductor at the time they send out the alert? I would never know, because I don’t check texts while I’m driving! Boy, now that would be an SD conundrum: If I’m reading my texts while driving, and rear end a pedophile kidnapping a child, am I a hero or a villain? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/34 "2015-12-18T14:45:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I would never know, because I don’t check texts while I’m driving! > > Boy, now that would be an SD conundrum: If I’m reading my texts while driving, and rear end a pedophile kidnapping a child, am I a hero or a villain? And what if you kill everyone in both cars? I say you’re a hero, maybe even a martyr. You’ve prevented a kidnapping! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/35 "2015-12-18T14:49:59Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > What does that have to do with anything? For me they’re just texts. Have you gotten one yet? They’re not ‘just texts’, it’s a blaryingly loud, wake the dead type sound. Personally, that’s my problem with them. If it was just a normal alert, the kind that would cause me to look down at my phone, I probably wouldn’t think twice about it. My issue is that it’ll wake me up in the middle of the night, it’ll jar me while I’m driving, if my phone is near my head, it’s deafening. I don’t mind getting them, it’s just too loud. Instead of ‘what’s that’ it’s ‘omg how do I make this stop’ and then I can’t read it because I’ve deleted the alert trying to shut it up. But I'll agree, being in a room when 10 or 15 of them go off at once is kind of amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/36 "2015-12-18T18:52:57Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What if I’m in bed at 2 am? I’m not getting up. What if I’m in front of my TV? What the fuck can I do? I’m not moving off the couch. Like I said, the option is there to turn off the alerts on my phone and I turned them off. _That’s_ the fucking point. Don’t like it? Take me to the Pit. So you never leave your house? I guess in that case you may not ever be able to help. Though even then, the vehicle could be parked on your street but you’d at least have to look out the window. Definitely too much work. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Have you gotten one yet? They’re not ‘just texts’, it’s a blaryingly loud, wake the dead type sound. Personally, that’s my problem with them. That hasn’t been my experience with them. I suspect it might vary depending on the type of phone and what your current settings are (like if it’s already on vibrate or silence; I always keep mine on vibrate). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/37 "2015-12-18T19:09:05Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > That hasn’t been my experience with them. I suspect it might vary depending on the type of phone and what your current settings are (like if it’s already on vibrate or silence; I always keep mine on vibrate). That’s very possible, but I will mention that I have an Android and mine sound similar to the iPhone in the video. I’m curious if it still makes all that racket if the sound is turned off. It’s particularly awful when the phone is on my nightstand 18 inches from my head and I’m _just_ about to fall asleep. Like I said, I wouldn’t have a problem with them if they were at a normal volume, it’s how loud they are that bothers me. Even if they had their own ringtone, that would be okay. Maybe even if you were forced to do something to stop them (like an alarm as opposed to an alert), I could deal with that. It’s the volume. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/38 "2015-12-18T19:20:07Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > So you never leave your house? I guess in that case you may not ever be able to help. Though even then, the vehicle could be parked on your street but you’d at least have to look out the window. Definitely too much work. Do you have a problem with me, or are you engaging in RO? I support your right to keep Amber alerts turned on on your phone. If you have a problem with me turning them off, lick my ass. Yes, I know this comment is inappropriate in MPSIMS and I accept any warning I might receive without complaint. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/39 "2015-12-18T20:04:02Z")
Wow. I can’t believe how self-absorbed some of you are. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635/40 "2015-12-18T20:33:39Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What if I’m in bed at 2 am? I’m not getting up. What if I’m in front of my TV? What the fuck can I do? I’m not moving off the couch. Like I said, the option is there to turn off the alerts on my phone and I turned them off. _That’s_ the fucking point. Don’t like it? Take me to the Pit. I’ve got the solution to that. We’ll create a new app, called Santa, which know when you are sleeping and knows when you’re awake. (Bad or good upgrade coming soon.) It will suppress Amber Alert messages when you’re sleeping. Happy now? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-an-amber-alert-notice/740635.md?page=3)