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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Today has been proclaimed as AMBER Alert Awareness Day in North Dakota by Governor Jack Dalrymple.

The day honors Amber Hagerman, a 9-year old Texas girl, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle and brutally murdered on this day in 1996. Broadcasters have teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children, which eventually created the AMBER Alert System.

“North Dakota is committed to protecting its young people and keeping its communities safe, and the statewide AMBER alert system is an important part of those efforts,” said Dalrymple.

Alerts are issued when a child of 17 years of age or younger are abducted and believed to be in danger of serious harm or death. Descriptive information is released to media and broadcast through an AMBER Alert to assist in the safe recovery of the victim.

North Dakota implemented the system in February 2003. Seven AMBER Alerts involving eight children have been issued in North Dakota, with seven of the children successfully recovered.

Nationally, the program has saved the lives of 794 children.