Legislature’s Amber Alert Sponsor Says Changes Needed To Law

The legislator who sponsored Missouri’s Amber Alert law says it’s appropriate to review it, but he does not think it needs a major overhaul. Passage of the Amber Alert law was a pet project a couple of years ago for St. Charles Senator Chuck Gross. The law has drawn some criticism since the Nodaway County sheriff complained about delays getting the alert out in the Skidmore murder and baby kidnapping case. But the State Highway Patrol says there wasn’t enough information available for several hours to warrant an alert being issued. Gross says it’s important the public does not come to see amber alerts as police “crying wolf.” But Gross says all laws are subject to change. He says there’s no way he and others who worked on the law could have forseen the kidnapping of a fetus. He says it’s appropriate to take another look at the present law in light of the Skdimore tragedy. Gross can understand the emotions of family members and police on the scene who want something put out immediately, but he says the law needs to require adequate information to be available so the public knows what to look for.