Amber Alert enhancement available in Buchanan County

Jenna Wilson, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Oct. 12—Local law enforcement has a new tool to help with efforts to find missing children.

Buchanan County is the latest to utilize MO.Watch, a digital platform created to prompt community members to assist with quickly finding missing children. MO.Watch is a free, web-based application that was coded by law enforcement to honor Hailey Owens, a young Missouri girl whose life may have been saved if there had been a more timely and effective Amber Alert system in 2014.

Josh Schisler, the founder of the MO.Watch platform, said that since the passage of Hailey's Law in 2019, there has been a tremendous amount of support from law enforcement across the state.

"The support I've received has been continuous since I've brought forth this platform to law enforcement across the state," Schisler said. "Specifically, Sheriff Puett has been extremely helpful and supportive in developing this resource and I think that's because everyone in the state was touched by what happened to Hailey and I think everyone is committed to making sure it doesn't happen again."

When a child has been abducted, Missouri Watch members receive an enhanced Amber Alert that includes an individually assigned watch zone, pictures of the missing child and a link to the MO.Watch Platform, which displays the latest information and search instructions for the users.

People also can call law enforcement to report a sighting or check in to be assigned another watch zone.

"The watch zone feature on this application was a really smart thing that was put together by law enforcement," Schisler said. "The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children keeps track of every Amber Alert, so they have almost 20 years of data that shows where children are abducted and where they are found."

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said he is in full support of the application and added that as a community we should all strive to keep children from harm.

"If a child is abducted or victimized, one of the most critical things as law enforcement is to deliver a quick response," Puett said. "When partners are developing platforms like this to keep kids safe, that is always something to show interest in. Our goal is to protect our citizens and save them from harm."

Schisler and law enforcement are thrilled about the developing platform and hope to see better outcomes when Amber Alerts are sent out.

To join the Buchanan County MO.Watch, people can sign up at MO.Watch/Buchanan or call/text 816-722-3736.