AOL alerts to aid missing-kid search

America Online is joining forces with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to help locate missing children.

AOL, a unit of AOL Time Warner, will launch an Amber Alert service that allows AOL users to view alerts from 62 government authorities including states, counties and cities.

Amber Alerts, named for a kidnapped and murdered Texas girl, are used by local law enforcement agencies to widely spread information about missing children through broadcast media and highway signs.

The alerts have been used in several high-profile cases, and have prompted calls for a nationwide program. The U.S. Senate is considering a bill that would expand the systems.

The new AOL program will allow visitors to view a list of current alerts through its proprietary software, and get a history of the Amber Alerts. AOL said the program would launch in early November, and the alerts would be targeted to members based on the states where they lived.

The company said it would also promote Amber Alerts across its service, including its welcome screen. Members would also be able to get alerts via e-mail, mobile phones or pagers.

"Taking Amber Alerts online is a natural extension and valuable enhancement for this rapid response program," NCMEC CEO Ernie Allen said in a release.