Why am I receiving a Test Amber Alert on Wednesday?

DENVER (KDVR) – Don’t worry, it’s just a test.

To improve the process and availability of information, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation will conduct a test of the Amber Alert system at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The test will be conducted three days before National Missing Children Day on May 25.

However, not every phone receives the test notification.

According to CBI, the test alarm feature is disabled by default on all phones. If you have test notifications enabled, you will receive a notification on your phone.

According to the CBI, if you receive an alert on Wednesday, you should not be alarmed and know that no action is required.

CBI would like to remind the public that the following criteria are required before activating an Amber Alert:

• The kidnapped child must be at least 17 years old
• The abducted child must be in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death
• Sufficient descriptive information must be available to assume that a transfer will support or support recovery
• Activation must be requested by a local law enforcement agency or an Amber authorized representative from another state

Changes to Amber Alert notifications

In 2021, Amber Alerts saw a significant change. Wireless Emergency Alert cell phone notifications now included a URL link for direct access to the Amber Alert bulletin.

“One of the challenges of the WEA system is that it only allows for a maximum of 360 characters in the cell phone message, which drastically limits the amount of information the CBI can offer in these time-sensitive situations,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “URL redirection to a website will further improve our ability to share important and helpful information in a timely manner.”

Previously, X was used as the destination for the link contained in the message. The CBI has now announced that it will refrain from using X and that the link will redirect the public to the CBI warning page, where all active warnings are listed.