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REMARKS OF THE HONORABLE LAURIE ROBINSON
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

AT THE

AMBER ALERT/FACEBOOK NEWS CONFERENCE

ON

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2010

ALEXANDRIA, VA

Thank you, Ernie. You are a true leader in the fight to protect our nation¶s children, and
the Department of Justice is fortunate to call you ± and all the hardworking folks here at
NCMEC ± our partners. I also want to thank Facebook and Chris Sonderby for demonstrating
their commitment to child safety.

Finally, I want to acknowledge our Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, OJJDP, for their tireless efforts to enhance juvenile justice and protect children
throughout the country.

I¶d like to talk briefly about why AMBER Alert is so important. The numbers are
incredible, but, really, numbers never do a topic like this justice. So, I want to start with a
reminder of the real people AMBER is helping ± terrified children, frightened parents, dedicated
law enforcement officers, and vigilant community members.

Last October in California, a gang member grabbed an 8-year-old girl while she was
playing in front of her house. Her horrified mother ran after the truck, but it was too late. A
statewide AMBER Alert was issued. Officers immediately began looking for the truck and
details of the abduction blanketed local media. Luckily, Victor Perez was watching the local
news. When this attentive citizen later spotted the suspect¶s vehicle, he followed it, and he
prevented the culprit from fleeing.

The kidnapper, in a panic, released the young girl, and Mr. Perez rescued her. I think
that¶s a pretty amazing story! That young girl is just one of many kids who have benefited from
AMBER Alert in the last 15 years. To date, 525 children have been brought home as a result of
the AMBER Alert system.

A major factor in this success has always been the use of secondary distribution
networks. From wireless providers to trucking companies, AMBER Alert really depends on
partnerships with public and private entities to get the word out when a child goes missing.
 Today, we¶re thrilled that NCMEC and Facebook will now be working together to
distribute AMBER Alerts. This new partnership will allow Facebook users to receive AMBER
Alerts directly on Facebook.

This partnership is just one way that the AMBER Alert program continues to grow and
strengthen. My agency ± the Office of Justice Programs ± coordinates the National AMBER
Alert program and assists state and local officials with developing and enhancing AMBER Alert
plans.

We also work to promote coordination and eliminate geographical and jurisdictional

barriers. As we all know, social networking has few boundaries ± and now, AMBER Alerts will
benefit from that nearly limitless reach.

Of course, AMBER Alert is just one of the Department¶s many initiatives focused on
protecting our nation¶s youth. Last fall, Attorney General Eric Holder launched a new
comprehensive effort ± Defending Childhood ± to address children¶s exposure to violence, and
the Department also provides vital support for Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces to
help state and local law enforcement and prosecutors address online child victimization and
pornography.

In the past two years, these 61 ICAC Task Forces throughout the country have conducted
more than 55,000 investigations, leading to the arrest of more than 9,100 individuals and the
identification of more than 3,000 child victims of abuse or neglect.

All of these efforts demonstrate the high priority this Administration places on child
protection. While we can¶t fulfill every parent¶s dream and completely insulate children, we can
promote programs and partnerships that protect children and help bring them home.

So I¶m delighted to be here today to help launch this great new initiative ± and I thank
our partners for joining us in these efforts.

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