Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Tampa uncuffed

Amber Alerts are based on five criteria

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published April 28, 2005

In the six days between 13-year-old Sarah Lunde's disappearance April 10 and the discovery of her body on an abandoned fish farm in rural southeast Hillsborough, law enforcement officials never issued an Amber Alert.

In Citrus County, officials did not issue an Amber Alert for Jessica Lunsford after her family reported her missing in February. Deputies found Jessica, 9, buried near her home in March.

But when a Bradenton girl disappeared this week, investigators did issue an Amber Alert, the mass bulletin system meant to quickly tell the public about missing children who might be in danger.

Why issue alerts for one case and not the others?

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is in charge of issuing Amber Alerts, and it has five criteria for taking that step - key among them being that the local law enforcement agency investigating the case must recommend it, said Rick Morera, spokesman for the FDLE in Tampa.

Also, there must be a conclusion that the child's life is in danger and that there is a "clear indication of an abduction," Morera said.

They also must have a detailed description of the child, the suspected abductor or the suspect vehicle that can be broadcast to the public. Amber Alerts are used only for missing people under 18, and they do not apply to runaways.

"To issue the alert, we have to hit all five of those criteria," Morera said. "We're trying to guard against it being overly used, because then it doesn't mean anything to the public."

Lunde had wandered from home before for short periods of time, so it was possible she had run away. And deputies had no physical evidence or witnesses to indicate that she had been abducted.

Instead of an Amber Alert, Sheriff David Gee had a National Missing Child Alert issued. The criteria for that are less stringent, but it gets some public attention just the same, Morera said.

Citrus sheriff's officials also issued a National Missing Child Alert for Lunsford. They didn't have enough information about her disappearance to conclude it was an abduction.

But this week, Bradenton officials had enough information to issue an Amber Alert for Margarita Aguilar-Lopez, 12.

They think she was kidnapped by Antonio Paulino-Perez, a friend of Margarita's brothers who was left to care for her at a motel.

ANTIBURGLARY TOOL: Coming soon in your water bill from the city of Tampa: a form that will make it easier for Tampa police to track down stolen valuables.

Dubbed "Operation Inventory," the mailing of 125,000 forms is a first for the Police Department, said Sgt. William Rosseau.

The idea is to give residents and business owners an easy-to-use form for documenting the serial numbers, model numbers and descriptions of stereos, computers, televisions and other items typically taken by burglars.

Too often, people call to report they've been burglarized but have nothing but a vague description of their missing valuables, Rosseau said.

"We recover property frequently, and often we have a suspect attached to it," he said. "But we can't identify the property, so we can't make a charge. It's a constant frustration."

Starting this month, the forms are being mailed in batches of 6,000.

Police want water customers to fill out the forms and keep them in a safe place. If officers come to investigate a theft, a victim can hand over the form and give officers all the information they need.

LAFAVE NOW SINGLE: It's officially over.

Debra Lafave, the attractive young middle school reading teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student last summer, is no longer married.

Owen Lafave filed for divorce in August, 13 months after their wedding and two months after she was arrested outside the alleged victim's Temple Terrace home.

Court records show the divorce became official this month.

Owen Lafave, who has set aside his embarrassment over the situation to make numerous national TV appearances, told the Times this year that he filed for divorce after Debra Lafave moved out and took all the furniture from their townhouse.

Even the bed.

Contact Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 28, 2005, 01:16:14]