Amber Alerts

Sunday, February 17/19

Friday night I was just falling asleep when my iPhone gave out a loud and distinctive screech that scared the crap out of me.

I scrambled to grab my phone thinking it was somehow broken when I noticed a text message on my home screen advising that an Amber Alert had been issued by the Peel Regional Police Service for a missing 11 year old girl who was in the custody of her father but had not been returned to her mother per the visitation section of their custody arrangement.

I went into my son's room to see if he had gotten the same alert and he confirmed he had.

A little later another message was delivered saying the Amber Alert had been called off.

It was called off as the young girls body was found and she had been killed, allegedly by her own father, who had been seen by someone who had received the same Amber Alert I had and reported his presence to local authorities.

Why am I blogging about this senseless tragedy?

Well it seems there are a lot of people who were angry about being woken up by the Amber Alert.

Yes, you heard me correctly, the Peel Regional Police Service has received complaints about the decision to send out an Amber Alert by people who didn't want their precious sleep disturbed, like the life of a child was somehow less important than an hours sleep lost to the two text messages.

Over the course of the last two days I've seen countless posts on my Facebook account from friends stating they don't care how much sleep they might lose to such alerts but to keep them coming as the life they might save is far more valuable than a few minutes of lost sleep.

I am 100% behind the forced delivery of such text messages and would be so even if I didn't have a grandchild as first and foremost I consider myself a decent human being, one who puts the health and safety of children, no matter who's child they might be, above my own comfort.

To all of those people who are so put out by getting such an important message I have one response - Move the Fuck Out of Canada, We Don't Want You Here!!!!!!

My name is Marcus and Amber Alerts are fantastic tools to help keep our children safe and sound!!!