Iowa Amber Plan Criteria

The following criteria are utilized to determine if an AMBER Alert should be issued for the state of Iowa:

  1. Law enforcement confirms a child has been abducted and entry has been made into the IOWA/NCIC Systems identifying the child as missing.
  2. The child is under the age of 18.
  3. Law enforcement believes the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.
  4. There is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help.

ONLY LAW ENFORCEMENT MAY REQUEST ACTIVATION OF THE AMBER PLAN

The goal of the AMBER Plan is for the safe recovery of children that a law enforcement agency believes have been abducted and are in danger of serious bodily harm or death. The above criteria should be broadly interpreted to ensure the safe recovery of Iowa's abducted children.

If the criteria for an AMBER Alert cannot be met, other state resources are still available to assist in the search for a missing child. Please call Des Moines State Radio at 515-323-4360 to request assistance.