Amber Alert Network Brazos Valley

The Amber Alert Network-Brazos Valley is a cooperative effort between law enforcement agencies throughout the Brazos Valley, emergency management resources and local media regarding reports of abducted children. It is meant to be a localized resource utilized in conjunction with, and as a supplement to the existing statewide Amber Alert Network established through the office of the Governor and administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Amber Alert Network-Brazos Valley was created to reduce the amount of time required to get vital information to the public in the immediate area of a reported abduction. It will act as an immediate and localized broadcast, to be followed by a larger area blanketing of information provided by the statewide Amber Alert Network.

September 2001: Local law enforcement agencies meet to discuss need for unified policies/procedures for dealing with missing/abducted children

January 2002: Representatives of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provide model policy/procedures for dealing with missing/abducted children and provide training for first responders.

Spring 2002: Model policy approved and adopted by law enforcement agencies throughout Brazos County.

Summer 2002: String of high profile child abductions/murders bring national attention to issue of missing/abducted children.

September 2002: Gov Perry creates statewide Amber Alert Network administered through Department of Public Safety Division of Emergency Management.

Fall/Winter 2002: Representatives of 20 different law enforcement agencies throughout 7 county region of the Brazos Valley meet to prepare localized plan to supplement state Amber Alert Network.

Spring 2003: Meetings between law enforcement agencies, local media representatives and Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) finalize proposed plan for Amber Alert Network Brazos Valley (AANBV).

June 2003: Participating law enforcement agencies sign participation agreement and representative board elected for AANBV.

Spring 2004: Full scale public test of AANBV results in quick distribution of information and identifies technical limitations to be addressed.

Fall/Spring 2005: Representatives of AANBV team with State of Texas Amber Alert Coordinator to conduct training in other communities beginning their own local Amber Alert plan.

Summer 2007: AANBV representative board re-appointed and local AANBV website created as means of public awareness/education.

September 2007: AANBV adds secondary distribution of Amber Alerts (Wireless Amber Alerts) through NCMEC to the local plan.

Summer 2008: AANBV representative board begins process of creating Child Abduction Response Team (CART) for region.

Spring 2009: AANBV designates steering committee to continue formation of Brazos Valley Child Abduction Response Team (BVCART).

June 2009: BVCART steering committee members attend CART training sponsored by Department of Justice in San Antonio.

Fall 2009: AANBV distributes Memorandum of Understanding to 27 law enforcement agencies throughout Brazos Valley region.

January 2010: Formal BVCART announcement with 19 law enforcement agencies signed as part of team.

February 2010: Initial 2-day training for BVCART members.

September 2010: BVCART Tabletop Exercise and Case Study

May 2011: BVCART Mock Child Abduction Exercise-Burleson County, Texas

September 2011: On site assessment of BVCART by DOJ & AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs