Amber alert scared the shit out of me the one time I was in the US.
I was on my way back, just finished boarding, checking I had everything and suddenly my phone was vibrating louder than it ever did and it scared the shit out of me.
“AMBER ALERT SOME FLIPPING PERSONS NAME”
Yeah dude, I’ll get on that as I end up 7k miles away
But wouldn’t it have been amazing if you’d realized they were sitting in the same row as you, trying to traffic that kid out of the country?
Yes it’s annoying, and ten thousand people will only spend 5 seconds looking around them, but that’s a lot of eyes, in every direction, and with no warning for them to hide.
That’s all you’re really expected to do, be a momentary observer along with thousands of others all over the place. We don’t have, and don’t want, enough cops to look everywhere. But if by chance that license plate is right in front of you in traffic, or that man and toddler who just did a complete change of clothes in the bathroom (not suspicious behavior in itself) were originally wearing clothes that matched the description, you can call the number on your phone. Normal custody battles don’t get elevated to an Amber alert.
Jerry: The whole concept of the wanted poster has gotta be the most wildly optimistic crime-fighting idea. I mean, so how does it work? Okay. I’m on line at the post office. I see the guy. I see the list of offenses. I check the guy standing in line behind me. If it’s not him, that’s pretty much all I can do. Okay? It’s not that I don’t want to help. You know the annoying thing is, why didn’t they hold on to this guy when they’re taking his picture? “No, we don’t do it that way. We take their picture and we let them go. That’s how we get the front and side shot. The front is his face. The side is him leaving.”
With work issuing phones and all of us with personal phones, it’s a cacophony when someone gets abducted 2 days’ travel away.
And the UI basically hides the message the millisecond your blurry, panicked self grabs the phone going off at 3am trying to just shut off the fucking noise and you never see the message anyway.
Amber alert scared the shit out of me the one time I was in the US.
I was on my way back, just finished boarding, checking I had everything and suddenly my phone was vibrating louder than it ever did and it scared the shit out of me.
“AMBER ALERT SOME FLIPPING PERSONS NAME”
Yeah dude, I’ll get on that as I end up 7k miles away
it can be disabled on android, look under emergency broadcasts or wireless emergency alerts
But wouldn’t it have been amazing if you’d realized they were sitting in the same row as you, trying to traffic that kid out of the country?
Yes it’s annoying, and ten thousand people will only spend 5 seconds looking around them, but that’s a lot of eyes, in every direction, and with no warning for them to hide.
They’re state-wide, and I live in Texas. I don’t want to bea heartless, but I super can’t do anything about something 400 miles away.
And most of the time it’s custody battle bullshit, or a 16yo running off with their 19yo boyfriend.
Me: gets amber alert on phone
Me: looks around for the victim or suspect; sees nothing
Me: “Well, I’ve done all I can.”
That’s all you’re really expected to do, be a momentary observer along with thousands of others all over the place. We don’t have, and don’t want, enough cops to look everywhere. But if by chance that license plate is right in front of you in traffic, or that man and toddler who just did a complete change of clothes in the bathroom (not suspicious behavior in itself) were originally wearing clothes that matched the description, you can call the number on your phone. Normal custody battles don’t get elevated to an Amber alert.
Jerry: The whole concept of the wanted poster has gotta be the most wildly optimistic crime-fighting idea. I mean, so how does it work? Okay. I’m on line at the post office. I see the guy. I see the list of offenses. I check the guy standing in line behind me. If it’s not him, that’s pretty much all I can do. Okay? It’s not that I don’t want to help. You know the annoying thing is, why didn’t they hold on to this guy when they’re taking his picture? “No, we don’t do it that way. We take their picture and we let them go. That’s how we get the front and side shot. The front is his face. The side is him leaving.”
With work issuing phones and all of us with personal phones, it’s a cacophony when someone gets abducted 2 days’ travel away.
And the UI basically hides the message the millisecond your blurry, panicked self grabs the phone going off at 3am trying to just shut off the fucking noise and you never see the message anyway.
Bit of a failure, if you ask me.