A few weeks ago, with the weight of the challenges facing America, the nation came together and breathed a collective sigh of thanks as Elizabeth Smart was reunited with her family. The Utah fifteen year old came home after reappearing on a busy street in Sandy, Utah B just miles from the family home from where she was kidnapped nine months earlier.

 

The reunion between Elizabeth and her family left many of us with the childlike perception that happy endings really do exist. And while we are all grateful for the wonderful ending to this case, more often than not these stories have anything but fairytale endings.

 

According to a U.S. Department of Justice study, roughly 4,500 children in the United States are abducted by non-family members every year. Law enforcement is successful in tracking down many of these children, but not every case is a success. When a child is missing, every second is critical. In most cases, 75 percent of child homicides occur within three hours of an abduction (DOJ). The sooner we rescue a child after he or she has been kidnapped, the better his or her chance for survival. It must happen quickly, before the kidnappers have the chance to cover their tracks and get too far away.

 

You may have heard the term AMBER Alert. AMBER Alert stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response." Law enforcement activates it by triggering electronic message boards and broadcast messages throughout the area in which the abduction occurred.

 

In some cases, an AMBER Alert has gone out within just 17 minutes of an abduction, giving law enforcement personnel a jump start on safely recovering a kidnapped child. This communication network has been credited with saving the lives of 43 children in America. That's 43 children who will live to see another birthday; 43 children who will have a chance to make a difference in our world; and 43 families who will be spared the agonizing loss of a child.

 

To date, 57 cities, regions and states have established AMBER Alerts, which have been credited with the safe recovery of these 43 abducted children. However, without a universal system in place it is hard to know how many children could be brought home but aren't because the alert didn't reach every region.

 

This week, the House of Representatives addressed this need by passing legislation to establish a national AMBER network. The legislation helps fill the gaps that exist in the current patchwork of AMBER systems. It also provides much needed resources for states and communities to build their own systems and spread vital information to surrounding jurisdictions with a single phone call.

 

The national AMBER Alert system is part of a larger child safety legislative package called the "Child Abduction Prevention Act." The purpose of the multi-faceted legislation is to prevent child abductions while putting in place the necessary enforcement tools to ensure that child abductors will not escape justice. This bill offers a comprehensive package of child abduction prevention tools that will make severe child abuse and torture a capital crime; provide stronger penalties against kidnapping and sexual trafficking; keep child kidnappers behind bars until trial; and put a "two strikes you're out" law in place for child sex offenders.

 

I know we can't be with our children every minute of the day. However, from the smallest town to the largest city, we can make our communities safer and provide our parents and law enforcement authorities with the tools they need to make our children safer. This week, we took a step in that direction. In doing so, maybe we can ensure a safe and brighter future for all of our children.