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NATIONAL
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Black AMBER Alert Founder Comes Forward
by Zenitha Prince
Special to the NNPA from Afro Newspapers
BALTIMORE (NNPA) – In January 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped while riding her bike. A few days later Amber was found brutally murdered, her body thrown carelessly into a ravine. The news sent a shock wave through the community and across the nation.
But in the midst of that tragedy a miracle was born. A man, virtually anonymous to everyone called a radio station and planted the seed of what would become the premier child abduction recovery program in the nation-the AMBER Alert system. That man, Pastor Charles Williams, said he felt it was time to put a face to the miracle.
''It's probably the world's best kept secret that the AMBER Alert was founded by a Black man,'' Williams said.
''I wanted to set the record straight for history's sake and more importantly for Black history, that's what my quest has been.''
At the time of the kidnapping, people were talking about it in the community and in the news. The then chief of police even went on a talk show and lamented their lack of progress.
Williams said that resonated in a deep place in his heart.
''During that time there had been a number of kids who were kidnapped across the country and many with a tragic end and Amber's case hit close to home because I'm the father of four girls,'' Williams said.
''I put myself in that family's shoes and imagined what they were going through so I did what I normally do, I prayed about it.''
At work the next day, Williams said he called in to a popular radio talk show program and made a unique suggestion.
''I suggested to the host on air, 'Mark, what would happen if just like every time a tornado is coming they can tell us almost down to the letter what street it's coming down, what would happen if every time a child was kidnapped we used that same concept, that same system-break into radio stations and television stations and alert people,'' Williams said.
''At that time everything was kept hush-hush except for within the police department but this concept would use the public as a first resort instead of a last resort.''
Although, Williams did not pursue the idea at the time, he found out years later that the chief of police shared the idea with other law enforcement officials.
Later that year, a consortium of Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed up with police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted system called AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response), named in honor of the little girl whose death sparked the idea.
''What was born at that time was the concept that, yeah, we may have lost this one, but if we do this quick enough, we can stop things like this from happening,'' Williams said.
Soon the idea began to spread. To date, the Department of Justice has spent $12 million to develop a national network and help states and other jurisdictions with training and technical assistance to develop their own AMBER Alert programs. It was money well spent. Now, 50 states across the nation use the system and more than 200 children have been restored to the bosom of their families because of the AMBER Alert plan.
The figures, Williams' children said, make them proud.
''I think it's cool and to know my dad did it makes it even more special,'' said Sarah, Williams' daughter.
Another daughter, Kendra, added, ''Whenever I see or hear about a story of a child that was saved because of the AMBER Alert I think, 'Hey, that's one more kid my dad saved...I'm very proud of him.''
A little more than a year ago, Williams revealed his role in generating the life-saving program on the same radio show and in his book, Faces of the Amber Alert. Since then, Williams has been traveling the country doing book signings and speaking engagements. He was even honored by President Bush.
There are many however, who wonder why it took so long for him to speak up and some accuse him of exploiting a tragedy, including the station where the idea was birthed.
''I told them I respected their opinion but this is my story and frankly I felt kind of hurt because after I waited nine years, I thought that surely, that would be enough time,'' he said.
''I waited nine years until the child would have turned 18 years old and I thought that was in very good taste on my part.''
Besides, Williams said, if he had truly been thinking about exploiting Amber's tragedy, it would have made sense for him to do it back in 1996 when the family was in dire financial straits.
''At that time, back in 1996, we were so poor that I used to eat food out of dumpsters...because that's what I had to do to make it after we were denied food stamps,'' he said.
Williams said those humble beginnings of the AMBER Alert are discussed in his book. He said he would not have people perceive the book as being all about Charles Williams, however, since he was merely a messenger.
''God gave me the concept,'' Williams said, ''and all I did was obey
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