The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) awarded the grant, which calls for USC to conduct 25 one-day training sessions beginning in October and ending August 2006 at USC's Newsplex.

"According to the Department of Justice, the critical time is the first three hours after an abduction because, after that, the likelihood of the child being murdered is far greater," said Hugh Munn, a public-relations instructor who is coordinating the grant.

Munn said it was feedback from broadcasts nationwide that led, in part, to the grant-funded project.

"Broadcasters saw an advantage to having journalists train them because they understand the nature of radio and television," Munn said. "Newsplex will allow us to create simulations in an environment that uses the latest in technology and convergent media practices."

The project team also includes Charles Bierbauer, dean of the college, who applied for the grant, and Augie Grant, a broadcast professor who is the project manager. An additional 10 faculty members will help conduct the training.

AMBER alert simulations have never been done to help train broadcasters or law-enforcement officials implement the alert system. USC's Newsplex, a multi-media newsroom of the future located at S.C. ETV, provides the environment where such simulations can be done.

"We'll be able to work through scenarios and address topics such as legal ramifications, coordination between media and law enforcement, public perception, criteria for implementation, how much information should be released, and how best to use new technologies," said Munn, who was the chief spokesman for the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) before joining USC's faculty.

Created in 1997, the AMBER Alert Plan is a voluntary effort between law-enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin in child-abduction cases to mobilize citizens in the search effort. The plan is named for Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl from Arlington, Texas, who was kidnapped and murdered. Criteria for issuing an AMBER alert vary somewhat between states. In addition to television and radio announcements, some states, such as South Carolina, also incorporate electronic highway billboards.

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