On Wednesday, January 13, 2010, the Massachusetts State Police hosted its third annual National AMBER Child Alert Awareness Safety Day Fair at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon in Foxborough, in observance of the 13th Annual National AMBER Alert Awareness Day.

National AMBER Alert Day honors the memory of Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas on January 13, 1996. The AMBER Alert system activates an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases in an attempt to galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of the child. The AMBER Alert program has proven to represent the best hope for the safe recovery of abducted children and to date is responsible for or has assisted in the recovery of 495 children nationwide. In the six years since the AMBER Alert program's inception in Massachusetts, there have been 14 AMBER Alert activations seeking a total of 22 abducted children. The program has ensured the safe recovery of all of these children. The success of the AMBER Alert program sends a strong message that crime against our children is grossly unacceptable and that as a society, we will work together to track down perpetrators who prey on children and safely recover the children they intend to harm.

Today's fair focused on Amber Alert awareness, abduction prevention education, and the preparation of digital child identification kits. Troopers from Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island, along with officers from the Foxboro Police Department and the MBTA Transit Police Department fingerprinted and photographed 430 children and prepared digital child identification kits for parents to use in the event that their child goes missing or is abducted. Digital child identification kits are a valuable asset for law enforcement in missing child and child abduction cases. Law enforcement officials need photos and identifying information on missing and abducted children as soon as possible in order to activate an AMBER Alert and to aid in the criminal investigation. The stress of a missing or abducted child situation can delay the collection of accurate information and current photos from parents and guardians. Digital child identification kits can be handed over to the first responding law enforcement officer, who will immediately be armed with all the necessary descriptive information to activate an AMBER Alert.

"Protection of children is an integral part of the mission of the State Police and our partners," said Colonel Marian McGovern, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. "The AMBER Alert system is a crucial part of that effort. It is an effort that is close to my heart, as I have been personally involved in the program since its inception in Massachusetts. I have seen firsthand how many different police departments and other government agencies - along with members of the public who provided invaluable input and media outlets who helped us spread the message - have worked collaboratively to return abducted children to the safety of their homes.''

New England Patriots cheerleaders and "Pat Patriot," the New England Patriots' mascot, were on hand to meet the children. Retired Patriot quarterback Steve Grogan signed autographs for those in attendance. When asked why she was attending, Gretchen Keville of Upton, who had an identification kit made for her eleven-year-old son Thomas and nine-year-old daughter Julia, replied, " I was interested in one thing and one thing only, to arm myself with some of the most important tools that would assist police, should an unthinkable abduction of one of my children occur."

In addition to the child identification kits, the fair also focused on AMBER Alert awareness and abduction prevention education. Massachusetts AMBER Child Alert Coordinator Trooper Nicole Morrell educated parents on the importance of the digital identification kit. She emphasized to parents that "fingerprints don't change, however updating a child's photo is the most important step a parent can take to assist law enforcement in recovering a missing or abducted child." For children six years and younger, photos should be updated every six moths. For children over six years of age, once a year will suffice.