Bush signs law encouraging national Amber Alert system

President Bush speaks in the Rose Garden as Elizabeth Smart and her parents look on.

President Bush signed legislation on Wednesday that encourages states to implement a national Amber Alert system. The law, called the "Protect Act of 2003," builds on what the president calls "an increasingly important tool in rescuing kidnapped children."

41 states already have an Amber Alert program in place. The new law aims to link all U.S. states in a broad effort to crack down on kidnappings. The White House has set aside $10 million to help states finance the program.

The Amber Alert system takes advantage of radio and television broadcasts, highway signs, and emergency broadcast systems to deliver information about kidnapping suspects and victims. The first Amber Alert was created after a girl named Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered in Texas in 1996.

The new law aims to discourage abductions from occurring in the first place by calling for tougher sentences for kidnappers.

RESOURCES • CNN.com: Bush signs child protection bill  • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children  • Polly Klass Foundation: Amber Alert Now  • Bridgewater Review: "The Culture of Fear  • Review: "The Culture of Fear"

California is an example of a state that already has an Amber Alert system in operation. Since Gov. Gray Davis implemented it last July, there have been 26 alerts in the state, and all of them had led to the safe return of children.

Shortly before California implemented its Amber Alert program, a five-year-old who had been abducted from her home in Orange County was found dead. Some residents argue that if an Amber Alert program had been in place at the time of her kidnapping, she might have been rescued.

Some experts do not completely support a national Amber Alert system. Barry Glassner, an author and sociology professor at the University of Southern California, implied that Amber Alerts only increase fear and anxiety among Americans. While he agreed that rescuing a child is a great accomplishment, he said that the problem with the Amber Alert system is that it gives the false impression to parents and children that kidnappings are a serious problem in America. Glassner described abductions as a "very rare problem."

Not all Amber Alert programs have been as successful as the one in California. Though various Amber Alerts since 1996 have resulted in the safe recovery of 64 children, the Justice Department says that more than 800,000 children are reported missing nationwide every year.

Most children who are reported missing are involved in child custody cases or have run away from home. As a result, some law enforcement officials worry that civilians might take the law into their own hands in case of an Amber Alert. They also fear that the pursuit of innocent people would lead to the abuse of the Amber Alert system.

The president, however, says that the new law "marks important progress in the protection of America's children."