TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union) and Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) to ensure that alerts are more widely disseminated when a child has been abducted has been signed into law by Governor Chris Christie.
The law (A-2781/S-1431) requires Amber Alerts be distributed via text message to public officers and employees issued cellular phones or electronic communication devices by their employer.
“Discovering that a child has gone missing is, by any measure, a parent’s worst nightmare. But the more people who are made aware that an abduction has occurred, the better a chance we have of finding the perpetrator and getting the child safely back home,” said Senator Scutari. “This law will allow us to disseminate Amber Alerts to a network of public workers almost instantly, thereby, increasing the likelihood of a child rescue.”