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Questions about alerts received on phones should be directed to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST. To report incidents to TBI, call 1-800-TBI-KIDs or email tipstotbi@tn.gov.
Amber AlertA police alert about a missing Murfreesboro boy – sent to smartphones at 2:15 a.m. – blasted Middle Tennesseans out of bed early on May 20, sending some to social media to question how they got the alert and what good they could have done from bed.
The Amber Alert became the first to hit Tennessee cellphones after midnight. The federal government and wireless providers approved the new automatic messaging system this year after lengthy lobbying by police and child advocates.
Smyrna police found the boy unharmed and arrested his father within three hours, but not before locals dismissed the alert and turned to Twitter. Some groused about the alert or wondered how they could have helped police.
“I was on alert to notify authorities if matching car drove through my bedroom,” one local woman tweeted, adding, “Hope all is OK.”