Amber Alert overload. Is the public beginning to ignore such alerts?

[davidn3600]

That concern became a reality in recent weeks as cellphone users vented about being startled by their devices erupting in a loud emergency tone.

“I literally thought the city was under attack,” New Yorker Kristin Nehls tweeted after receiving an Amber Alert on July 17. “Scariest wake up ever.”

“That amber alert scared the beejesus outta me!,” Ruby Gutierrez of Los Angles tweeted on Aug. 5. “I had my sound on loud, my heart's still racing.”

Much to Amber Alert advocates’ dismay, instructions on how to turn off the pop-up notifications have flooded the Internet.

“These alerts are protecting the public and saving lives so we would hope that people don’t opt out,” Brian Josef, assistant vice president of regulatory affairs for the Wireless Association, a nonprofit trade organization, told Yahoo News.

http://news.yahoo.com/how-and-why-the-government-is-sending-emergency-alerts-to-your-smartphone-211346691.html

I always wondered about these alerts. I've been hit with them too. An Amber alert goes off and my phone makes a very loud noise....not the typical notification sound you get with an incoming text. It's like an alarm clock.

It's enough of an annoyance that people are now starting to turn off these alerts that could also include emergency information from the government during a crisis.

[HappyMe]

1. I don't have a smart phone,

so I don't get amber alerts. I do have to say, that I would probably turn them off if I did get them.

I'm not sure what it is you are supposed to do when you do get an amber alert. I have heard people complain that they come in at weird hours and that sometimes they are for places a couple of hundred miles away.

[hedgehog]

2. It would be nice if they could be controlled for the area and urgency of the alert -

Chance of severe weather is not the same as immanent severe weather! I think most people are aware of days when the weather is going to go bad. I have a weather radio and i appreciate the warnings much more since I figured out how to limit them to my county instead of all of Upstate NY!

[MindPilot]

3. They are becoming like car alarms, smoke detectors, and color-coded terrorist threat charts.

Car alarm goes off when the trash truck goes by. Smoke detector can't tell the difference between a steamy shower and a bonfire in the dining room.

I just don't pay a whole lot of attention any more.

[PowerToThePeople]

7. car alarms?

Hell, at least once a week I hear a car alarm go off early in the morning 3-4am. Then you can hear the car squealing its tires and engine revving to very high rpms as the sound of the alarm travels off into the distance.

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

4. I have Amber Alerts turned off

But government alarms are on. Got 2 amber alerts when asleep and decided that I did not want any more. I did like the government alarm telling me about the tornado warning.

[X_Digger]

5. I turned them off the first time I got one.

The only ones I receive are the presidential alerts (which you can't turn off).

I have a weather radio that turns itself on and blares the NOAA emergency alerts.

[MineralMan]

6. I don't have a smart phone, but I do have WCCO AM on all

the time in the background, including when I'm driving. They announce all local Amber alerts as soon as they're released. I always pay attention and focus part of my attention on it, if I'm out and about.

I wouldn't like my phone going off like that, which is why my dumb phone is off all of the time.

[Warpy]

8. I know I tune them out

but I don't have any kids. I think people with kids are more likely to pay attention to them, mainly if they're within the state.

But yes, the national ones have gotten to the desensitizing point.

[mrdmk]

9. Had to turn it off, the alert came a 10:50pm

Then there were 6 in a row the next day from 8am to 9:30am, these alerts became a nuisance.

Like another poster, I set my phone for Presidential alerts only which is a topic in itself! i.e. no choice...

[liberal_at_heart]

10. people are self serving, and they don't like to be inconvenienced.

They don't personally know the children being taken. I guarantee if it was their child being taken they would want as many people looking for their child as possible.

[SoCalDem]

12. I think it's overload for many people.

People's "devices" are always on, and buzzing, beeping, ringing, etc.

I only see the alerts on tv, but my Mom-senses are on 24-7 whenever I see a child-adult situation that does not "seem right", and I will (and have) alert(ed) on those.

[geek tragedy]

11. Beginning? nt