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Good Idea; Amber Alerts poised to go International

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Good Idea; Amber Alerts poised to go International Empty Good Idea; Amber Alerts poised to go International

Post by TomTerrific0420 Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:17 am

A little girl lost by a loving South Bay family has focused attention
on the difficulty of recovering kidnapped children when they've been
taken across the Mexican border.But thanks to another little girl -- one named Amber -- the search for kidnapped children will soon go international.Christmas
Day 2006 brought a priceless present to a South Bay mother named Kate:
a baby girl. The foster child named Jade stayed with the family for
almost two years."We had her from 9 months old until she was kidnapped -- at over 2 1/2 [years old]," said Kate.Kate
and her husband Niranjan asked KTVU not to reveal their last name or
where they live for fear of retaliation from Jade's biological family.The
couple has long been committed to fostering children. They adopted a
little boy Nicholas, then a little girl Gracie, and were in the process
of adopting Gracie's sister Jade.But they said when Jade's
biological father -- Heiby Flores -- took her for a court authorized
visit a year ago, she never returned."We found out when we went to pick her up that Sunday and he didn't show up," said Niranjan.Kate vividly remembered the moment: "Immediately I said 'She's kidnapped. I know she's gone.'"For
the past year, Kate has been handing out fliers. She put a poster with
pictures of Jade and Flores on her car. She even hired a private
investigator."I hand them a flier every place I go, because I'm sure someone's going to see him," explained Kate.The
family has offered a $10,000 reward to find the little girl who now
would be three years old. Their belief is that Flores took Jade from
San Jose to Mexico, where Flores is from.According to the U.S
Department of State, one third of the international child abductions
last year occurred between the U.S and Mexico. A total of 316 such
kidnappings took place. But there is a new effort underway to catch
kidnappers after they cross the border."I can tell you there's
probably not a county in California that is not in one way or another
affected by this," said Jim Walters, a U.S. Justice Department employee
who works as liaison for training and technical assistance for the
Amber Alert program.Walters said later this summer authorities
will start a process to extend the Amber Alert system to Mexico. They
plan to begin by training law enforcement from both countries side by
side in San Diego next month."So when you issue an Amber Alert
in Texas or California, then the neighboring jurisdictions in Mexico
have the ability to issue that same Amber Alert and help search for
that abducted child," explained Walters.When an Amber Alert is
issued, all 50 U.S. states broadcast information about the kidnapper’s
vehicle and the victim using highway signs and the airwaves. According
to government data, Amber Alerts have helped save the lives of almost
400 children since 2002.Walters said Mexico is about five years behind the U.S."Once
we pass through all the logistical problems and get the system in
place, we're confident it's going to work," said Walters.Julianne
Sylva works in the child abduction unit of the Santa Clara District
Attorney's office and has a drawer packed with files of active child
abduction cases. She said getting an abducted child back from Mexico
takes time."My job is to locate and recover kids who have been
abducted by parents or family members, said Sylva. "It is several
months. but it used to be several years. Things are improving."Sylva
said extending Amber Alerts to Mexico could improve the recovery time
from months to days -- or, in a best case scenario -- mere hours."It puts more feet on the street, for lack of a better word, to bring kids home," explained Sylva.Pedro
Espinosa, the head of legal affairs at the Mexican consulate in San
Jose, said the new effort could help by limiting the complications that
often come with an international kidnapping."Because maybe if
they cross the border, you have these dual laws and you face difference
of laws and jurisdiction," said Espinosa.The little dresses and
outfits Kate bought for her foster daughter remain unworn. She cried as
she watched home video of little Jade at the beach and playing in their
backyard, lamenting the girl she hoped to formally make a member of the
family.Kate and her husband support the idea of an extended
Amber Alert, but they can't bring themselves to consider fostering
another child."I feel like if we took another one, would that mean we were trying to replace jade? I just want her home," said Kate.
TomTerrific0420
TomTerrific0420
Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear

Job/hobbies : Searching for Truth and Justice

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