N.J. revises its Amber Alert guidelines

New Jersey is revising its Amber Alert guidelines in response to the death of 3-month-old girl who was thrown off a bridge after she was abducted by her biological father.

Attorney General Paula T. Dow said the revised guidelines are aimed at establishing clear criteria to determine when an alert should be activated.

As part of the revision, a training program is being established for law enforcement officials, including 911 operators, to learn the questions that should be posed when a family abduction is reported.

"The relationship between the suspected abductor and the child is a relevant factor to consider in gauging the risk of harm to the child," Dow said in a statement.

"However, it is vitally important to make clear to all law enforcement officials that an Amber Alert may be activated by the State Police in a case involving an abduction by a family member if there is reason to believe the child may be in danger."

The changes grew out of the Feb. 16 abduction of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem, whose father has been charged with throwing the infant off a Garden State Parkway bridge into the Raritan River after taking her from her grandmother in East Orange.

The body of drowned infant found on a riverbank Saturday is believed to that of Zara.

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, 21, a college student from Galloway Township, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.

Dow's office said that even with the new guidelines, the timeline of Zara's abduction indicated that it was unlikely an Amber Alert sued after the baby's mother called police would have led to the baby's rescue.

Still, it highlighted the need for revisions, Dow's office said.

The program is named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl from Arlington, Texas, who was abducted and slain,

The new guidelines can be found at http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases10/04.28.10-AMBER-POLICY.pdf