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WEST VALLEY CITY -- The Unified Police Department eventually canceled an Amber Alert Thursday for a missing girl who, in fact, was never missed by anyone -- but the search was only called off after hours of notifications over TV, radio and road signs.
We wanted to make sure that we got through the evening hours and made sure everyone got home from work and were able to account for their children.
–Lt. Don Hutson
Friday, police defended their decision. They said they kept the Amber Alert going until 10 p.m. to give parents a chance to make sure their children were accounted for.
Police issued the alert after a witness reported seeing two men pick up an 8-year-old girl near 5600 West and 5000 South. Officers say, in addition to the woman's story, a handful of witnesses placed a girl matching the description in that area.
Unified police never receive any reports of a missing child, but the department says in these situations it's crucial to err on the side of caution.
Law enforcement officers consider four important criteria before issuing an Amber Alert; one is believing a child has been abducted.
"We don't feel like this was an abuse, but you certainly don't want to cry wolf too often; and we are very careful when we do apply the Amber Alert System," Unified police Lt. Don Hutson said.
Updates interrupted TV viewers in 15-minute intervals throughout the afternoon and evening. Police say they don't believe the alert lasted too long, but they did receive some complaints.
- There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
- The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
"Those are people, obviously, who were watching TV throughout the evening and felt like they had a good grasp on it," Hutson said. "Unfortunately, you have to continually -- that's the nature of an Amber Alert -- continually get the information out."
KSL TV received complaints from Comcast subscribers about the alert interrupting the last seconds of the NBA Finals. The company said Friday it works within the Amber Alert guidelines.
The Amber Alert system is automatic. Once an alert is issued, Comcast's systems pick it up. The company does not have control of when the alerts air.
"[We] completely understand that it's an inconvenience to our customers," said Comcast spokesman Ray Child. "A child's safety is potentially at risk; it's worth the inconvenience."
The Unified Police Department says it will follow up on any tips that may explain what happened.
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Story compiled with contributions from Anne Forester and Cleon Wall.
