In addition to the AMBER Alert system, Alabama has implemented a second-tier alert program, the Missing Child Media Alert system. These alerts are issued in certain cases when a child is reported missing yet there is no evidence the child has been abducted or is in imminent danger. The system is designed to inform the public about a missing child when the circumstances of the child’s disappearance do not allow for AMBER activation. Unlike the AMBER Alert system, the Missing Child Media Alert system does not involve activation of the state’s Emergency Alert System (EAS).

When a Missing Child Media Alert is issued, the Department of Public Safety prepares a flyer featuring the child’s photograph and descriptive information. DPS activates its Missing Child Media Alert e-mail distribution system to advise the media and the public about the missing child. The e-mail communicates the circumstances of the child’s disappearance, provides the child’s description, and includes a link to Public Safety’s Web site, dps.alabama.gov. The Web site includes the alert notice, missing child flyer, and any other information that may help in locating and recovering the child.