RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has received a $125, 000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The grant will enable the N. C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety's (CCPS) Center for Missing Persons to upgrade the Emergency Alert System as part of the installation of a statewide AMBER Alert network to help locate abducted children.

As part of the grant, satellite receivers will be installed at 29 sites across North Carolina -- including the state Transportation Management Center (TMC) -- to receive information when an AMBER Alert is issued by the N.C. Center for Missing Persons. The information will then be simultaneously broadcast across the state through radio and television stations so the public can be on the lookout for the abducted child. As soon as the state TMC receives an alert, overhead Dynamic Highway Message Signs will be activated where appropriate.

"NCDOT is proud to be a partner in the AMBER Alert network," said state Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett. "Highway signs provide a powerful tool to quickly alert motorists to be on the lookout for a vehicle used in an abduction."

The N.C. Center for Missing Persons, the agency responsible for overseeing the state's AMBER Alert program, will provide a match of $31,250, bringing the total funds for the AMBER Alert grant to $156,250. The majority of the match will be paid for by a $30,000 donation from Revival Soy, a company located in Kernersville, N.C.

"This federal funding is a significant step in establishing the AMBER Alert system statewide," said CCPS Secretary Bryan E. Beatty. "Finding an abducted child within the first three hours can mean the difference between life and death. This funding will go a long way towards helping to protect children from harm."

The message on the NCDOT message signs will read "Abducted Child" and list at least three of the following: make, model, color and license plate number of the abductor's vehicle. A second message will instruct citizens to call the Highway Patrol at HP (47) on their cellular phones if the vehicle is seen. NCDOT currently has 77 Dynamic Message Signs installed on major highways across the state.

AMBER stands for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. The acronym is derived from the name of Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and killed in 1996. As a result of her death, broadcasters in Dallas, Texas developed a local alert program, modeled after storm warning alerts. The system is now being established nationwide.

For more information about the AMBER Alert network, contact CCPS Public Affairs at 919-733-5027. For more information about the Highway Dynamic Overhead Message Signs, contact NCDOT at 919-733-2522.

***NCDOT***

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