AMBER SYSTEM PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN RECOVERY OF TEENS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

QUARTZ HILL - A statewide child abduction alert system activated for the first time Thursday showed it has glitches but still got credit for helping save the lives of two Antelope Valley teenage girls who were kidnapped at gunpoint.

Radio and television stations issued AMBER Alerts with information about the 1 a.m. abduction, and 1,000 electronic freeway signs around California flashed the description and license plate number of the suspect's Ford Bronco to passing motorists.

``It was really an effective system,'' said Los Angeles County Undersheriff Larry Waldie. ``The effort of everybody here saved two lives.''

Assemblyman George Runner, R-Lancaster, said there were problems that caused a delay in getting the system going Thursday, but that once it was up it helped build up the vast public awareness that helped find the girls.

``Components of the AMBER plan were used to bring those kids to safety,'' Runner said.

The AMBER - America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response - system is named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped and killed in Arlington, Texas, in 1996.

In the wake of the kidnapping and slaying last month of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion of Orange County, Gov. Gray Davis announced earlier this week the development of the statewide alert system.

``The AMBER alert system is designed to provide a coordinated rapid response to an instance of child abduction in California,'' California Highway Patrol Lt. Andria Witmer said.

The network incorporates three existing systems, including TRAK - Technology to Recover Abducted Kids - which allows for the immediate distribution of color photographs to law enforcement and the media.

AMBER also relies on the state's emergency alert system, which usually is used to broadcast information about earthquakes and other natural disasters and earthquakes. On Thursday, the system was used to transmit information about the abduction to participating television and radio stations.

The third system is the Emergency Digital Information Service, which is operated by the state's Office of Emergency Services. EDIS provides local, state and federal law enforcement agencies with a direct computer link to the media, Witmer said.

``This was the first time the system was used since a coordinated effort was put together,'' Witmer said.

TV news executives said it was difficult to assess the effectiveness of the AMBER system, which first transmitted information to local stations anywhere from 3:45 to 7 a.m. Several stations already were reporting the news of the kidnapping, including the description of the suspect's SUV, before the official AMBER notice moved.

KTLA news director Jeff Wald said his station had not yet had the chance to develop a policy for responding to AMBER Alerts received when the newsroom is not staffed with camera operators and other technicians.

But, he said, the information flow from investigators through the media to the public pays off.

``I think it's proven in this case today that this system can work with the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies and the news media,'' Wald said. ``This is the way I think these organizations can work together for a positive result.''

Staff Writer Valerie Kuklenski contributed to this report.

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Photo:

The AMBER system tells Interstate 5 drivers to watch for a vehicle involved in the kidnapping of two teens in the Antelope Valley.

Keith Durflinger/Staff Photographer