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MAILE AMBER ALERT
Hawaii's Child Abduction Alert Plan
Maile Leilani Gilbert
Amber Rene Hagerman |
What is the MAILE AMBER Alert?The MAILE AMBER Alert Plan is a voluntary partnership between the four county police departments, emergency management agencies, and local broadcasters to notify the public when a child has been abducted and solicit help in locating the child and abductor. The plan employs the community for the safe recovery of the abducted child by facilitating the exchange of information between the public and the police. MAILE AMBER is an acronym for Minor Abducted in Life-threatening Emergency and America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. It is named in memory of 6-year-old Maile Gilbert of Kailua and 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, Texas. Maile was abducted on August 25, 1985, from a party in Kailua. Her killer was located several hours later and led detectives to Kaena Point where he had buried Maile's body. Amber was riding her bike on a Saturday afternoon when an unknown male kidnapped her. She was found murdered four days later, and her killer was never identified. Though the program is named after Maile and Amber, the plan is dedicated to all children who have been abducted. Under the MAILE AMBER Alert program, police will notify the public, via the broadcast media and the State Department of Transportation's freeway signs, of a child abduction with information about the child, suspect, and suspect's vehicle. This information will be sent to broadcasters using the State Civil Defense's emergency alert system. |
MAILE Alert CriteriaThe MAILE Alert Plan is restricted to child abduction cases that meet the following criteria:
More information about missing children can be found at Hawaii's Own Missing Children. |
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What You Can Do
If you hear a MAILE AMBER alert broadcast and think you have information that may be helpful in the investigation, immediately call the MAILE AMBER Alert hotline at 540-TIPS (540-8477) on Oahu or toll free at 1-866-HPD-LOST (1-866-473-5678) from the Neighbor Islands.
NOTE: These phone numbers are activated ONLY when a MAILE AMBER alert is issued. If there is an emergency not related to a MAILE AMBER Alert, call 9-1-1.
County police departments and the Missing Child Center of Hawaii emphasize the need for parents to call police immediately after realizing that their child is missing. According to national statistics, the first few hours following an abduction are the most critical.
If Your Child Is Missing
Immediately call 911 and file a missing persons report. Be prepared to provide the police with
- detailed description of the child
- recent photo of the child,
- description of the clothing worn by the child at the time of abduction,
- description of the abductor,
- description of the vehicle used in the abduction, and
- abductor's direction of flight
