> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sdnewswatch.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Must an Amber Alert be issued within a certain amount of time?
- URL: https://www.sdnewswatch.org/south-dakota-amber-alert-sd-abducted-child/
- Published: 2025-03-19T10:55:36.000Z
- Updated: 2025-03-19T10:55:36.000Z
- Description: The alerts notify the public of abducted children via TV and radio broadcasting, highway signs, cellphones and the internet.
- Author: Megan Luther
- Tags: Fact briefs

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cb/ab/cbabab5e-2dc6-462c-94a0-b72956c0d224/content/images/2025/01/WhiteFACT-BRIEF--500-x-200-px--2-1-1.png)

## No.

While it is encouraged to issue Amber Alerts as quickly as possible to maximize chances of recovering an abducted child, there is no formal requirement to do so within a certain amount of time in South Dakota.

America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, or AMBER, notifies the public of abducted children via TV and radio broadcasting, highway signs, cellphones and the internet.

Each state determines its own criteria for issuing an alert. In South Dakota, the request must:

- Come from a law enforcement agency.
- Provide credible evidence that an underage child has been abducted.
- Demonstrate that the child is in danger of harm or death.
- Include enough descriptive information to assist in the recovery of the child.

These criteria align with the minimum guidelines established by the federal government in 2003, which states can adopt voluntarily.

AMBER was created after the 1996 abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Texas.

**This fact brief responds to conversations such as* [**this one*](https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthDakota/comments/1jb365x/5%5Fhours%5Flatershouldnt%5Fwe%5Fdo%5Fbetter/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)**.*

### Sources

U.S. Department of Justice,[Amber Alert](https://amberalert.ojp.gov/about/faqs?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

State of South Dakota, [South Dakota Amber Alert](https://sd.gov/amberalert/?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

---

[**South Dakota News Watch**](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/) partners with [**Gigafact**](https://gigafact.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context. [**Get our email with fact briefs and stories**](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/email/).

[](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/tag/fact-brief/)[**Read previous fact briefs**](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/tag/fact-brief/) and our verification standards and other [**best practices policies**](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/best-practices/). 

**Have a question we can answer?** Submit it at the [**South Dakota News Watch Tipline**](https://gigafact.org/tipline/south-dakota-news-watch/?ref=sdnewswatch.org). Send questions or feedback to [**factbrief@sdnewswatch.org**](mailto:factbrief@sdnewswatch.org). 

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cb/ab/cbabab5e-2dc6-462c-94a0-b72956c0d224/content/images/2024/05/donate-3.jpg)](https://southdakotanewswatch.fundjournalism.org/donate?ref=sdnewswatch.org)

[Share your thoughts on this story](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdTmGFf24Uhwiwd%5FndSxHkv6oBGSAy1LxF9BbwRbhBK5KflA/viewform?usp=sf%5Flink&ref=sdnewswatch.org)

*This story was produced by *South Dakota News Watch*, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at* [*sdnewswatch.org*](http://sdnewswatch.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) *and* [*sign up for an email*](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/email/) *to get stories when they're published. *Contact Megan Luther* at* [*megan.luther@sdnewswatch.org*](mailto:megan.luther@sdnewswatch.org)*.*