Amber Alert: Did it work?

Did Maine's first Amber Alert work? Yes, but there is room for improvement.

Two-year-old Hailey Traynham of Sanford was found Wednesday, safe and sound, by an eagle-eyed New Hampshire hunter who knew about the alert and recognized her fugitive father's pickup truck. He started a conversation with the man, Gary, and helped convince him to give up.

The Amber Alert — as a concept — worked to perfection. By spreading the widest information net possible (including across state lines), an informed citizen solved the mystery, saved the child and delivered the abductor into custody. A scriptwriter couldn't have spun it better.

Kudos to the hunter, Mike Grant, for intervening and doing the right thing.

How the alert went out, however, needs some sharpening. Broadcast stations — which are integral to the function and success of Amber Alerts — are raising good questions about why authorities took more than six hours to notify the public a little girl was missing.

Until 2008, according to national Amber Alert statistics, a majority of alerts were broadcast within six hours of a proven abduction. In 2006, this was 85 of 142 alerts. In 2007, it was 56 of 106. In 2008, however, only 49 of 116 alerts were delivered within six hours, a disconcerting trend.

While this could be an aberration (until 2009 figures are compiled, we won't know), slower response times could also indicate complacency or confusion.

Regardless, a delay of greater than six hours to broadcast an Amber Alert must be avoided; each wasted moment is too valuable.

The protocol should call for no more than three hours to broadcast, once the criteria of an Amber Alert is determined. This would ensure the alert system is used to its maximum effectiveness, because its potential for preventing a tragedy depends on timely delivery.

There are other areas where alerts could be improved.

Maine Turnpike officials were notified of the Amber Alert about 30 minutes after the media, which is backward. Once a suspected abductor is mobile, motorists become crucial eyes for law enforcement. Getting alerts on electronic Turnpike notice boards should be a higher priority.

There are also reports of technology failings in distributing the alerts that authorities are troubleshooting, according to WGME. This should give law enforcement a chance to review its alert procedures, to ensure the message is being spread over every instant communication medium.

Let's not forget to applaud, though. This Amber Alert, Maine's first, worked as designed. No system is perfect, but judging by outcome alone, nothing went wrong. Hailey Traynham is safe and her abductor is in custody.

That is what matters.

editorialboard@sunjournal.com