Nationwide, the resources of law enforcement are at a premium. Citizens concerned about public safety in their communities often pick up the slack, establishing neighborhood watch programs, joining community policing programs such as the Community Policing Consortium (a partnership between several of the NLEOMF's Board Member Organizations: IACP, NOBLE, NSA, PERF and the Police Foundation), and taking special care to safeguard our greatest resource: Our children.

Statistics show that the first three hours after a child's abduction are most critical to recovery efforts. By combining the efforts of the wireless industry, through the Wireless Foundation with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and law enforcement agencies, led by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Wireless AMBER AlertsTM initiative is a catalyst for the wireless industry's over 200 million wireless subscribers to aid in the search and recovery of an abducted child. To date AMBER Alerts have helped to safely recover more than 300 children.

If your phone is capable of receiving text messages, and your wireless carrier participates in the Wireless AMBER Alerts initiative, we encourage you to opt in to receive free AMBER Alerts on your cell phone. Simply register at www.wirelessamberalerts.org or at your wireless carrier's website. You can designate up to five ZIP codes from which you want to be alerted in the case of Amber Alert activation.

To learn more about Amber Alerts, go to www.amberalert.gov. When an Amber Alert is issued in the areas you've chosen, you'll receive a free text message. If you spot the vehicle, the suspect or the child described in the Alert, call 911 immediately. If your phone is wireless, you're no longer helpless.