…Sign up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts on your cell phone! I’m sure many of you must already know about this one, but I just found out about it tonight…..

For anyone who is not yet familiar with the AMBER Alert System, it’s a “quick response” system developed to get the word out when a child has been abducted. Authorities say that the first three hours after a child has been abducted are the most critical hours in which the chances are greatest for a rescue, so spreading the word quickly is vital.

Here in the greater Phoenix area the DOT has put up a number of special signs along the freeways as well as major streets, that flash Amber Alert information as soon as a report is called in. It will generally display information on a make/model/color of a vehicle if witnesses can report that, sometimes even a license plate number, other times just a description of the child and/or the suspected abductor.

But what about when you’re not in your car driving around to see the signs? Or not watching the news stations? How about if you’re at the mall, ballpark, beach, or elsewhere? Getting these alerts on your cellphone could possibly help save a child’s life. Sure, cell phones give us a lot of convenience, but I can’t think of a better use for technology than helping save someone.

Signing up is easy – I just did it…….you just enter your cell phone, accept the terms, enter from 1 up to 5 zip codes (if you travel extensively you may want to enter more than 1, but only your home zip code is needed to enroll for the whole city in which you live). That’s it – they’ll send you a text message to confirm your enrollment.

Technology is a wonderful thing…….even better when it can help reunite abducted kids with their families.