SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois AMBER Alert Task Force commemorates the 20 th Anniversary of the first America’s Missing Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alert broadcast in Illinois. The first AMBER Alert broadcast took place at 5:35 p.m. on November 26, 2002 in LaSalle, Illinois. The AMBER Alert System is named after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman who was abducted and later found murdered in 1996 after playing near her home in Arlington, Texas. In response to community concern, the Texas Association of Radio Managers and law enforcement created the first AMBER Plan. Today, all 50 states have similar plans. The goal of the AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of missing children. The Illinois AMBER Alert Task Force is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, the Illinois Press Association, the Illinois Tollway, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Lottery,
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