| Am·ber Alert (ām'bər) n. A message that conveys information about a recently missing or abducted person, usually displayed on electronic signs positioned along roadways and broadcast by mass media, intended to enlist the public's help in finding the abducted person and often in catching the abductor. [After Amber Hagerman (1987-1996), American child kidnapped and murdered in Texas.] |
| Main Entry: | Amber Alert |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an emergency broadcast or notification system used when there has been an abduction, esp. of a child |
| Example: | The decision to declare an Amber Alert is made by the law-enforcement organization investigating the abduction. |
| Etymology: | named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who in 1996 was kidnapped from her Arlington TX neighborhood while riding her bicycle and found dead four days later |