Police look for 'Amber Alert' message(r)
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By David Delcore Times Argus Staff - Published: April 17, 2008
BARRE — Police Chief Timothy Bombardier has two words for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the person, or persons, responsible for a false "Amber Alert" that swept the state on Tuesday: "Please forward!"
Ironically, those are the same two words that duped an untold number of central Vermonters on Tuesday resulting in the exponential spread of what Bombardier described as a not-so-elaborate "hoax."
"It wasn't real," Bombardier said Wednesday – a day after his dispatchers were first bombarded with calls concerning what amounts to a high-tech "false alarm."
According to Bombardier, it all started with multiple text messages that were sent to individual cell phones declaring an "Amber Alert" and recounting the fictitious tale of the "two little girls" who were "kidnapped around noon in Barre." The text message went on to note that the "suspect" was driving "a brown Jeep Liberty" and even provided a license plate number, though not one, Bombardier said, that would ever be issued in Vermont.
"It was a hoax," Bombardier said, explaining that it was the two words at the end of the text message that had phones ringing as far south as Rutland and as far north as St. Albans.
"It said: 'Please forward,'" he said. "That seems to be what happened … People, thinking they were doing good, started forwarding this around and it traveled from central Vermont all the way up to … St. Johnsbury and St. Albans."
Although Bombardier said the text messages "didn't fit the format" of a true "Amber Alert" – providing no descriptive information concerning the alleged victims, their ages, or the direction the suspect vehicle was traveling in was believed to be headed, he noted that would not necessarily be readily apparent to someone who got one of the text messages.
"A lot of people don't know that when they first see it and they hit their list and forward it to all their friends, who forward it to all their friends and that's kind of what happened yesterday (Tuesday) and is still happening today (Wednesday)," he said.
The result?
Barre firefighters were forwarding the text messages to each other, City Manager John Craig got one of the texts, as did City Councilor Scott Gagnon. The message also reportedly reached teachers in Rutland and Pittsford and residents in St. Albans and St. Johnsbury.
"It pyramided out," Bombardier said. "People honestly looked at it and thought they were doing a good thing."
In fact, Bombardier said the cell phone tree would have been remarkably effective had there been a real emergency.
Fortunately, there wasn't.
According to Bombardier, there would be no mistaking an Amber Alert had been issued because law enforcement would be front-and-center and vague text messages wouldn't be the sole source of information.
"If a true Amber Alert comes out … you will see it on your television, you will hear it on your news, it will come out through the public broadcast media," he said, noting that while it is possible to receive Amber Alerts by text message you must sign up for that service.
Now, Bombardier said, detectives are actively trying to trace the source of the initial calls in hopes of finding out who was responsible.
"I think there potentially is a law violation," he said, explaining "false public alarm" is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, two years in jail or both.
"It's a serious offense," he said, admitting it could be difficult for detectives to trace the source given the sheer volume of calls and problems associated with tracing some phones.
"How successful they are going to be … I don't know," he said, suggesting anyone with information concerning who might be responsible should contact Barre police at 476-6613.