LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The system is broken

Published 10:48 am Monday, October 23, 2023

NC’s Amber Alerts system is broken and nobody talks about it.

I cut it off on my phone a few days ago after I got woke up in the middle of the night by an alert that was already cancelled hours before, like usual. I have never received an Amber Alert that was not already cancelled hours, and even days, earlier. And usually I would I get repeats of the already cancelled alerts.

I cut the alerts off on my phone, and it troubled me to do so. Then one was issued in my hometown.

I saw it on a friend’s phone. I looked that one up and there was little information, no pictures. Then I found a Facebook post from six hours prior.

What are we doing here?

John Whitley
Albemarle