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I'm sorry, but that excuse doesn't fly any longer. I've heard too many nightmares from small towns where this "doesn't happen".

"...nightmares from small towns where this 'doesn't happen'."

I hate to say this, but it seems that the real sicko predators prefer small to midsize towns, far from the large cities, as their victims there are far more trusting.

Anyone remember Jacob Wetterling (St. Joseph, Mn)?

Why Amber alerts cannot be issued every time someone disappears:

FACT SHEET
2001 MISSING CHILDREN STATISTICS

· In 2001, 840,279 missing persons (adults and juveniles) were reported missing to the police and entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). This represents the smallest number of missing persons reports since 1992 (801,358).

· The FBI estimates that 85 - 90% of missing persons are juveniles. Thus, in approximately 725,000 cases (or 2,000 per day) the disappearance of a child was serious enough that a parent called the police, the police took a report and entered it into NCIC.

· For just the fourth time in the twenty years since the passage of the Missing Children's Act in 1982, the number of missing persons reported to the police declined from the previous year. The 2001 reports were down 4.1% from 2000. The total increase since 1982 is 444% (154,341 entries in 1982 vs. 840,279 entries in 2000).

· In 1990 Congress passed the National Child Search Assistance Act, mandating an immediate police report and NCIC entry in every case. Since 1990, NCIC missing persons reports have increased 27%.

· The primary NCIC categories in which missing children reports are entered are

"Juvenile" - 651,209 cases, down 5% from 2000 (police enter most missing child cases in "Juvenile," including some nonfamily abductions where there is no evidence of foul play)

"Endangered" - 119,237 cases (adults and juveniles), a decrease of 1.2% from 2000 (defined as "missing and in the company of another person under circumstances indicating that his/her physical safety is in danger")

"Involuntary" - 28,765 cases (adults and juveniles), a decrease of 8.8% from 2000 (defined as "missing under circumstances indicating that the disappearance was not voluntary; i.e., abduction or kidnapping")

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Missing Person File

Amber alerts are for *Stranger Abductions* where there is some information about the stranger--car, physical description, name, etc.

How many people would pay attention to Amber Alerts if there were 2,000 issued just for children everyday?

You're right at that! My uncle is 75 now; but back when he was about 8, he was abducted briefly. He was found safe, and the person got away. But it could've been worse! And it was a small 'farm town', too! It was lucky for them that their community was real close, and most everyone knew everyone else. Still, there were drifters and transients who came in and left on the trains. And it was one of them that did it! Although, many of them were harmless and nice, and the children befriended them.

Their mom (grandma)ran a hotel and cafe, small store, with gas station. And my step-grandpa was deputy sheriff! But even if he hadn't been; a lot of people in the community would've still turned out to help find a little child who was snatched! And I believe in many places, they still do!

But as you say, if it could happen 66-70 years ago; and in a 'small town', it could still happen in a 'small town'!