Apartment Association of Metro Denver

The Apartment Association of Metro Denver agreed yesterday to participate in AMBER Apartment Alerts. We're very proud to have their participation.

A list of all participating associations will be posted in the coming week as well as a list of all participating Management Companies and Communities.

This is truly the belief that "One Person Can Make A Difference"

HOPKINS,TSHETTER and SULZER, PC Endorse AMBER Apartment Alerts

In a letter dated May 14, 2009, Mark Tshetter, the senior Managing Partner stated their support for AMBER Apartment Alerts.

Read it at :
http://www.htspc.com/admin/newsletters/docs/152_June09LandlordNews.pdf

Apartment Association of Southern Colorado, the First Association

The Apartment Association of Southern Colorado has been the first Association to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with AMBER Apartment Alerts.

Their affiliation with the Colorado Apartment Association and the National Apartment Association is of great importance to us.

Thanks Laura and ladies for your support.

The First Management Company to belong, ELKCO Properties, Denver CO

Elkco owns and manages properties in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming.

Here's how we work.

Over 2100 children are reported missing every day. 98.9% of them are reunited with the person who reports them missing the same day.

1. AMBER Alerts issued by AMBER Apartment Alerts are verified before they are distributed.

i. Any alert distributed will be verified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) OR the AMBER coordinator for the state of issue prior to distribution

ii. A clear distinction will be made to differentiate between AMBER Alerts and missing/exploited child or runaway notifications.

1. The later will NOT be identified as an AMBER Alert and will clearly state it is a notification

The National recommended criteria from the Department of Justice are for issuance of an AMBER Alert are:

1. There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred

2. The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.

3. There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.

4. The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.

5. The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.

How AMBER Apartment Alerts is designed to work

AMBER Apartment Alert Notifications:

1. AMBER Apartment Alerts receives a notification from NCMEC or the AMBER Coordinator for the state of issue
2. The Alert is distributed to the Apartment Association and the Management companies for the State in which the notification was originated and to any state where the child is believed to be en-route

i. When cancelled the Association will issue a cancellation in a timely manner

3. The Alert is distributed from the Association to it’s members and suppliers for the region and/or state where the alert has originated

i. When cancelled the Association will issue a cancellation in a timely manner

4. The Alert is distributed from the Management Company to it’s Regional Offices, Properties and suppliers for the region and/or state where the alert has originated

i. When cancelled the Association will issue a cancellation in a timely manner

5. If the child is observed by any of the recipients of an alert issued by AMBER Apartment Alerts, the issuing agency is contacted or 911 is called.

i. At no time should any of these children be approached. Doing such could create a very dangerous situation for the child and for others.

AMBER APARTMENT ALERTS Missing/Exploited Child(ren)

Definitions:

These definitions are provided courtesy of ForTheLost.org

Endangered Missing	Just what the term says. This is used when a person disappears under suspicious circumstances, or has a condition which may endanger their welfare, or when someone is believed to be in danger. This is used very often with children, even in cases of possible Non-Family Abduction or Family Abductions.
Endangered Runaway	Used when a child leaves home voluntarily. Due to their minor status, they are also considered endangered.
Family Abduction	This is used when a child (a person under the age of 18) has been known to have been taken by a non-custodial family member. The vast majority of these cases involve parents, although other family may be involved.
Non-Family Abduction	This is used when a child is taken by a non-family member. However, not all suspected Non-Family Abductions are labeled this way. It was overused in the past and now is rarely used unless someone saw the child taken by someone else.
Involuntary	The adult version of Non-Family Abduction. Used when an adult is believed to have been taken against their will.
Missing	Used usually in cases where adults have vanished and there is no evidence of foul play. Children rarely use this one - a case that would be missing for an adult is usually Endangered Missing for a child.
Lost/Injured Missing	This is also called Catastrophe. Used when someone is injured and missing because of that condition, lost due to some sort of natural disaster, or lost in a situation where it is likely an accident occured, such as a hiking trip. Infrequently used.
NCMEC	The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the largest missing child clearinghouse. It is a not-for-profit organization.
Age-progression	A usually computerized image showing how a person missing for a great length of time may look today. Sometimes abbreviated as "AP".
NCIC	The National Crime Information Center. It enters missing people under five categories - Endangered, Catastrophe, Juvenile, Involuntary, and Disability. Minors have been required to be entered into the database since the early 90's. Most minors, regardless of circumstances, are placed in Juvenile.
UFAP	A warrant issued by the FBI for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Used to get the FBI involved in a missing person's case.
Hague Treaty	A treaty signed by many countries. Drafted in 1980, it states that a child taken out of the country of their residence must be returned to that country to decide custody matters of the child. Although this is widely signed and invoked often, it is rarely used.

A. AMBER Apartment Alerts receives a notification from NCMEC or the AMBER Coordinator of the issuing state

B. The Alert is distributed to the Apartment Association and the Management companies for the State in which the notification was originated and to any state where the child is believed to be en-route

a. When cancelled the Association will issue a cancellation in a timely manner

C. The Alert is distributed from the Association to it’s members and suppliers for the region and/or state where the alert has originated

i. When cancelled the Association will issue a cancellation in a timely manner

D. The Alert is distributed from the Management Company to it’s Regional Offices, Properties and suppliers for the region and/or state where the alert has originated

i. When cancelled the Association will issue a cancellation in a timely manner

b. If the child is observed by any of the recipients of an alert issued by AMBER Apartment Alerts, the issuing agency is contacted or 911 is called.

i. At no time should any of these children be approached. Doing such could create a very dangerous situation for the child and for others.

Suggested Distribution:

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) must be completed before AMBER Apartment Alerts will disseminate information to any association.

A. Apartment Associations:

a. State/Regional Members

b. State/Regional Suppliers

c. State/Regional Affiliates

DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO ANY PRESS SOURCE

B. Management Companies

a. Regional Managers for the area of the alert

b. Communities in the area of the alert

i. Community Center

ii. Employees

iii. Suppliers

DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO INDIVIDUAL DWELLINGS

Immediately upon a cancellation all posters and electronic distributions will be cancelled and destroyed.

Education:

AMBER Apartment Alerts is committed to the education of the Apartment Industry and its part in the reunification of children and parents/guardians.

It Will:

1. Educate National and Local Apartment Associations and Management Companies about the program

2. Educate the Members/Suppliers about the program

3. Monitor all distributed alerts and cancellations and keep detailed accurate records of each.

Participation:

Participation in AMBER Apartment Alerts is voluntary. At any time an association, management company, apartment community or supplier may request to cease its relationship. Within 24 hours of the receipt of this request the requesting participant will be deleted from the distribution list.

AMBER Apartment Alerts will never charge to participate in this program.

AMBER Apartment Alerts is open to participation from entities having current business relationships in the multi-family rental business. AMBER Apartment Alerts will not be exclusive to one organization or another.

Payment to be added to the AMBER Apartment Alerts will not be accepted.

It is the sole discretion of AMBER Apartment Alerts to accept or decline participation requests.

AMBER Apartment Alerts may cancel participation from any entity without notice at any time.

A Memorandum of Understanding is preferred by AMBER Apartment Alerts to between AMBER Apartment Alerts and any entity wishing to participate.

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[a] NCMEC web site, Statistics.