Lottery displays in stores across Virginia could soon help state law enforcement locate missing or endangered children under a new partnership between the Virginia Lottery and the Virginia State Police.Gov. Bob McDonnell said Wednesday that the Lottery has agreed to flash Amber Alert information on in-store displays on more than 5,000 clerk-operated machines and about 700 self-service vending machines at stores across Virginia. The idea was the result of a citizen suggestion submitted to McDonnell by e-mail.
During an Amber Alert, the electronic displays that normally show jackpot amounts and other marketing messages will show the location of the alert and instruct people to go to the Virginia Amber Alert website for more details about the child or abductor.
Messages will be automatically generated by the Lottery's data center when notified by the Virginia State Police, so retailers won't have to do anything when an alert is issued.
"Every second counts and the message needs to be spread quickly," McDonnell said in a news release.
While officials hope the help would never be needed, the Lottery is happy it can use its equipment and partnerships with retailers across the state to help law enforcement, said Executive Director Paula Otto.
The displays won't give descriptions of the child, the abductor or information like the abductor's car.
For example, if someone at a gas station is filling up next to a car holding the missing child or abductor, they wouldn't be able to identify them from the displays unless they went to the Amber Alert website.But State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said simplicity is best when notifying the public and that many people have access to mobile devices to look up more detailed information.
The Virginia Amber Alert Program was established by the General Assembly in 2002. It has been used to issue 29 alerts for missing and endangered child cases that met criteria for activation. The public is notified through broadcast media as well as various alert systems and websites.
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