Status of the Morgan Nick Amber Alert system in Arkansas

There are two active Amber Alerts in the United States right now, and one is for Dominick Wesley Arceneaux of Chidester, Arkansas. Here in Arkansas, the Arkansas State Police serves as the coordinator for system operations, and it is designed to provide law enforcement agencies across the state an instantaneous line of communication with the public that can rapidly disseminate information about the disappearance and search for missing and/or endangered children or minors.

One of the most knowledgeable people in the state on our particular alert system is Shane Deitert of KLRT. Shane has been trained on the Amber Alert system and the intricacies of disseminating the necessary information. He believes the law needs to be updated and that the media needs to be educated on the law.

Optimally, the Arkansas State Police would activate the alert system using a direct input via AETN, but this isn't currently in working order, according to Deitert. In place of an EAS, the Arkansas State Police has been e-mailing out the alert (some of which is blocked because of "spam"). Also, in order to comply with the alert system, radio and TV broadcasters are to air the alert every 15 minutes until the alert is canceled. This isn't happening -- while the Alert is garnering news attention, no Arkansas stations are putting this Amber Alert on the crawl. Further, we've received federal money for these flashing signs along the interstate, all of which should be posting info on this particular alert. These are a few of the issues that need to be addressed in order to make our alert system in Arkansas as efficient and successful as it can be.