AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program

AMBER Alert Coordinators, intelligence analysts, special agents, and others dedicated to finding missing children gathered October 18 for AATTAP’s Region 2 meeting at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations in Nashville. Region 2 child protection officials from nine southeastern U.S. states meet quarterly to discuss best practices, strengthen relationships, and hear perspectives from family survivors. Shown at the event are, from left: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐞𝐲, AMBER Alert Coordinator (AAC)/North Carolina; 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐨 𝐃𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐚, Miccosukee Tribe, Florida; 𝐆𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐬, AATTAP Region 2 Liaison; 𝐊𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐬, family survivor/@Justice for Mikelle Biggs; 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐕𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢, AAC/Georgia; 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧, TBI; 𝐊𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐲, TBI; 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐁𝐲𝐫𝐝, TBI; 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐀𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢, TBI; 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧, TBI; 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐬, Florida Department of Law Enforcement; 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐝, TBI; 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫, TBI; 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, TBI; 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧, TBI; 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧, TBI; 𝐓𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝, AATTAP Program Manager/@AMBER Alert in Indian Country; 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧, AATTAP Administrator; 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫, AAC/Alabama; and 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧, AAC/TBI. Learn more about AATTAP’s U.S. regions: https://lnkd.in/gb7k4JB9. National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Tennessee Bureau of Investigation North Carolina State Highway Patrol Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Florida Department of Law Enforcement Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Janell Rasmussen Tyesha M Wood #MiccosukeeTribe #LawEnforcement #ChildProtection #AmberAlert

#HeroesAmongUs #NationalFirstRespondersDay National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC)

OUT & ABOUT: Check out our fall 2024 issue of The AMBER Advocate! Learn about our team’s collaborative child protection work in the U.S. territories and around the world. Find out about the rescue of two teens in Texas—a case assisted by the revolutionary new geolocator tool, what3words. (Not familiar with it? We’ll fill you in.) And meet Volusia County, Florida, Sheriff’s Deputy Wes Brough, whose dramatic water rescue of a boy with underscores the need to act with urgency. Click here for these stories and more: https://lnkd.in/gCwn5tUv National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC)Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention what3words City of Denton Volusia Sheriff's Office Office of the Governor of Guam American Samoa Government - Department of Port Administration CNMI Office of the Attorney General New York State Police Virginia State Police National Autism Association Janell Rasmussen Jenniffer Price-Lehmann Byron Fassett Yesenia "Jesi" Baron Derek VanLuchene #autismawareness Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians #AmberAlert #AlertaAMBER #childprotection #lawenforcementtraining

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: How can law enforcement agencies recognize personnel who go above and beyond to help find abducted children? Learn about the California Highway Patrol's challenge coin program and some of its honorees in The AMBER Advocate magazine: https://lnkd.in/ghxmgpwY National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Idaho State Police #lawenforcementappreciation #ChildAbduction #challengecoin #AmberAlert

On Indigenous Peoples' Day 2024, all of us with the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country Initiative honor the rich histories and diverse cultures of Native American, Alaskan Native, and other Indigenous communities. We join them today, and every day, to ensure safe futures for their children. “We are stronger together,” says AllC Program Manager Tyesha M Wood. Janell Rasmussen National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention #IndigenousPeoplesDay

All she wanted to do was catch fireflies. Instead, for 6-year-old Morgan Nick, her own captivating light would shimmer, then vanish, from a Little League park in Alma, Arkansas, on June 9, 1995. As many of you know, this Tuesday Arkansas authorities publicly identified Billy Jack Lincks as the man they believe responsible for Morgan’s abduction—and the unimaginable “not knowing” pain her family and community have experienced for nearly three decades. Over the years, Morgan’s mother, Colleen Nick, has channeled her anguish into advocacy and education. She has provided inmeasurable support to families of other missing children via the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Team Hope; has led Morgan Nick Foundation efforts to return numerous missing children to their families; helped produce and update the DOJ resource, “When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide”; and shared her powerful family perspective during AATTAP-NCJTC law enforcement trainings. So with all that Colleen has done for others, how can we help her and her family right now? • Encourage the public to share any information they may have about Lincks (who died in prison in 2000) by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). No matter how insignificant the detail might seem, it could shed light on Morgan’s disappearance—and whereabouts. • Follow NCMEC’s reporting on the case: https://lnkd.in/gHTda7PX.... • Monitor announcements from the Morgan Nick Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gdbbfRwr. • Watch the documentary/miniseries “Still Missing Morgan” on Hulu: https://lnkd.in/gzeEP6qZ. • Share the “Family Survival Guide” resource with families of missing children: https://lnkd.in/gVDzHB_V. ~~Let’s help bring Morgan home.~~ Morgan Nick Foundation National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Janell Rasmussen #missingchildren #hope #StillMissingMorgan

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: More than two dozen child protection professionals participated in child abduction response team (CART) training at Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency / E911 headquarters in Starkville, Mississippi—and we’re happy to have helped advance their goals! Get up to speed on our CART classes—and request training for your law enforcement team or region—by visiting https://lnkd.in/dNsJD563. National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Janell Rasmussen Byron Fassett Derek VanLuchene #lawenforcementtraining #childprotection

As part of AATTAP’s efforts to provide training and technical assistance to our nation’s federally recognized Tribes, the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) team recently conducted an Implementation Meeting and two Child Abduction Tabletop Exercises (CATE) with the RENO-SPARKS INDIAN COLONY OF THE ST ATE OF NEVADA in Reno, Nevada. The AIIC team met Chief Jerrod Nunes and Public Information Office Bethany Sam at the Chief of Police Cluster Meeting several months before in Reno—and since then, Chief Nunes has worked diligently with AIIC to coordinate the trainings. Chief Nunes’ passion and dedication to preparing his agency for missing or abduction cases within the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony prompted numerous community members and surrounding agencies to attend the training sessions. *Big thanks* to our CATE facilitators: AATTAP-AIIC Project Coordinators david chewiwie and Amy Hood-Schwindt, Associate Julian Garcia, Program Administrator Janell Rasmussen, Program Manager Tyesha M Wood Wood, and everyone in attendance! National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention #IndianCountry #missingchildren #AmberAlert #lawenforcementtraining

Members of our AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) team were recently in Wyoming to present a Child Abduction Tabletop Exercise (CATE) on the Wind River Reservation, which is shared with the NORTHERN ARAPAHO TRIBE INC of Wyoming and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. CATE is one of the many AATTAP-AIIC resources that can strengthen readiness should a child go missing in #IndianCountry. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/dEYX8d5N... For photo captions, see: https://lnkd.in/dm6TbEdk. National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Bureau of Indian Affairs Wyoming Highway Patrol david chewiwie Tyesha M Wood Crystal Mcguire #firstnations #Indigenous #MissingChild #AmberAlert #lawenforcementtraining

Child Abduction Response Team (CART) evaluators were on site for the full-scale mock child abduction scenario conducted by New Jersey’s Egg Harbor Township Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. The successful effort, which had community support, was a key step for the CART to become certified by the U.S. Department of Justice. “Police tracking down the suspect and rescuing the girl—a safe and swift outcome that they hope will play out when there's no script,” notes reporter Ted. Greenberg in this excellent NBC10 Philadelphia news story: https://lnkd.in/diTTcwck. (We're also sharing photos taken by AATTAP team members Derek VanLuchene and David Fallon.) Great work, everyone! National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College (NCJTC) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention #ChildAbduction #lawenforcementtraining