[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1733-E1734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        A LIFE-SAVING PARTNERSHIP--QWEST JOINS AMBER ALERT TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HEATHER WILSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 9, 2003

  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, today I bring to your 
attention a partnership that could save children's lives. 
Telecommunications provider Qwest will begin sending AMBER Alerts 
directly to its technicians' pagers in order to increase the number of 
individuals looking for missing children. The company joins America 
Online and the New Mexico State Lottery as a corporate partner in the 
program to find abducted children.
  The AMBER Alert program began in 1996, and since then over 32 
abducted children nationally have been found as a direct result of 
communities' rapid response to the alert. In October 2000 I sponsored 
and the House passed a resolution on this floor urging communities to 
implement the AMBER Alert. I then laid the groundwork for the alerts to 
become available in New Mexico, which they did in April 2001. Today the 
Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, 
and the New Mexico State Police have all established AMBER Alert 
programs.
  The AMBER Alerts are currently carried by New Mexico's broadcast 
media via the same Emergency Alert System used in severe weather and 
national emergencies. The tones so familiar to citizens during storms 
are now helping to save children's lives. Thanks to Qwest's efforts, 
the alerts will now go out directly to the company's field technicians' 
pagers as well. The workers cover much of the state in their efforts to 
serve customers, so adding those employees to the network of 
individuals looking for missing children will be a tremendous 
advantage.

[[Page E1734]]

  Mr. Speaker, I ask you join me and all the residents of New Mexico in 
honoring and thanking Qwest for its efforts to aid our community in 
efforts to find abducted children. AMBER Alerts have proven effective 
in finding these children, and through its partnership Qwest has 
significantly expanded the number of people participating in the 
program and aiding authorities in their search. I commend them for 
answering an important call.

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