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AMBER Alert Scenario-Based Training at Newsplex

Training and Technical Assistance Program

Please register online for training by choosing the date/class number below or by going directly to MyTraining.
**If you go directly to MyTraining, you will need to remember the specific class number you are interested in.**

Please Note: Tuition, lodging, training materials, and light refreshments will be provided to the participant, however, Federal Employees are responsible for lodging expenses. You may register for more than one training opportunity.

Transportation will only be covered for CART and Newsplex non-Federal participants. For all other programs, transportation, meals, and parking are at the expense of the participant. Agencies with a financial hardship may apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of transportation. Final decision making authority rests with Fox Valley Technical College’s AMBER Alert Program Director. Printable copy of Scholarship Form Scholarship applications must be submitted immediately after registering for a course.

DATES AND LOCATIONS OF ALL PROGRAMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Program Descriptions

A wide range of training and technical assistance is available to support enhancement of the AMBER Alert program.

AMBER and the Media

Target audience: Law enforcement professionals from first responders, public information officers to CEO’s.

Basic Forensic Response to Missing and Abducted Children

This course is designed to enhance the forensic skills of law enforcement professionals responsible for crime scene investigations including missing and abducted children cases. Topics covered include: pre-planning, chain of custody issues/evidence security, crime scene identification and preservation, crime mapping and photography, trace evidence, fingerprints/palm prints, DNA/body fluids, composite sketching/forensic art and electronic evidence. Hands-on, facilitated activities will give the participants a chance to try some of the techniques taught in class.

One module of this program will be devoted to Identi-Kit training. In order to benefit from this training module, if at all possible, participants should bring with them a laptop computer containing Windows 98 or some later version. The participant's Department will receive a contract with the Identi-Kit Corporation which will entitle the Department to receive a license and free use of Identi-Kit software for six months. As a result of attending this training program, participants will be certified Identi-Kit operators. Length of program is 2½ days.

Target audience: Law enforcement professionals including crime scene specialists, first responders, and investigators.

Canvassing, Search and Recovery Strategies for Abducted Children

This course is designed to provide law enforcement investigative and supervisory personnel with the critical skills on how to conduct effective canvassing investigations and operations, as well as effective search tactics and methods to recover abducted children. This hands-on course of training will be limited to law enforcement personnel who have the responsibilities for conducting canvassing and search operations. Length of course is 3½ days.

Target Audience: Law enforcement personnel with responsibilities for conducting and managing search and/or canvassing operations involving missing or abducted children.

Child Abduction Response Team (CART)

The Child Abduction Response Team (CART) training program is designed for professionals from a variety of disciplines within a community that may be involved in the immediate response to a missing or abducted child incident. This training program is “team based” and requires commitment/designation of the chief executive officer(s) for individual to attend. Submission of an application does not guarantee participation in the program. Applications will be evaluated based upon the strength of the application, team composition, and goals and objectives of the team. Length of program is 4½ days.

Target audience: Attendance for this program requires team participation. A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 10 team members are permitted. Any exceptions require approval of the Program Director at FVTC.

Child Abduction Response Team Certification

This training program will involve an actual child abduction exercise to test the proficiency and capabilities of CART programs. Teams will be intensely evaluated in response, policy compliance, operational capacity and overall performance. Teams successfully completing the training,policy compliance standards and other certification requirements will be certified for performance.

Target Audience: Attendance will be restricted to teams completing the CART program.

Investigative Strategies for Missing and Abducted Children (ISMAC)

This course is designed to provide law enforcement investigators and investigative supervisors with the information necessary to properly understand, recognize, and investigate cases involving missing and abducted children. Participant will get an overview covering scope and scale issues related to missing and abducted children as well as available resources. Participants will become familiar with how to manage a missing or abducted child case including initial response as well as an overview of interviewing and interrogation techniques. The course then delves deeper as participants explore crime scene evidence collection and processing, profiling suspects, and legal issues including search warrants and interrogation related to a missing or abducted child. Hands-on, team activities will assist the participant to develop or improve their own investigative response. Length of program is 4½ days.

Target audience: Attendance should be investigative personnel for law enforcement and other government-related child protection agencies.

Leadership for Missing and Abducted Children (LMAC)

This course is designed for law enforcement managers and executives who are capable of making policy-level decisions that effect administration and implementation of AMBER Alert Plans in their agency. Topics that will be covered in this course will include a scope and scale overview of the issues related to missing and abducted children, key components of an AMBER policy and the elements of a comprehensive child recovery plan, how to develop a memorandum of understanding with other agencies, and how to engage or disengage the media on child abduction cases. Case studies will be used to exemplify the course content and participants will have the opportunity to improve their AMBER Alert/Child recovery plan through guided facilitation. Length of program is 2 days.

Target audience: Law enforcement managers and executives.

Specialized Strategies in Child Abduction Cases

This four and one-half day training program is designed for investigative professionals who have an established investigation foundation and experience in conducting investigations involving abducted, kidnapped, extortion or murdered children cases. Participants will be required to demonstrate a proficiency and experience in conducting complex investigations prior to attending this course. Focus of the course will include legal issues, forensic evidence collection, computer forensics, interviewing and interrogation, cold cases, human trafficking, information use, and resource sharing. Length of program is 4½ days.

Target audience: Attendance will be restricted to experienced investigative or supervisory personnel.

AMBER Alert Scenario-Based Training at Newsplex

Newsplex is a state-of-the-art scenario-based training facility that gives participants a unique hands-on experience dealing with various evolving incidents or unusual events. Newsplex is ideally situated to provide valuable learning experiences for broadcasters who are tasked with issuing or maintaining public AMBER Alerts. Newsplex is operated by the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.

Newsplex training will provide personal attention to participants through small group exercises, using state-of-the-art media convergence software and equipment. Unique training scenarios are based on actual AMBER Alert cases and are presented using computers and large screens. Participants are encouraged to make critical decisions based on information provided to them.

Participants: This 1-day training is available to the AMBER Alert coordinators, media representatives (television and radio), and Public Information Officers. Transportation and lodging will be provided for non-Federal employees. Tuition and training material expenses are covered for all participants.  You may request to be registered for more than one date, however, only one date will be honored.

Location: Columbia, S.C.

Please register online for training by choosing the date/class number above or by going directly to MyTraining.
**If you go directly to MyTraining, you will need to remember the specific class number you are interested in.**

Contact: For more information about the Newsplex training, contact FVTC at (920) 735-2578, or via e-mail at schmidl@fvtc.edu.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us.

Phil Keith, Program Director
AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program
A U.S. Department of Justice Initiative
Office of Justice Programs
Fox Valley Technical College
401 9TH Street NW
Suite 630
Washington, DC  20004
877-71-AMBER
877-712-6237
920-735-4757 fax
askamber@fvtc.edu