PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Every second counts when a child is abducted, which is why the Amber Alert system is one of the best tools to get the word out about a kidnapping.
Now, a company is hoping its initiative and your cell phone will be even more effective.
The Amber Alert system has been used for years to help law enforcement bring a child home safely.
"The Amber program is coordinated nationally by the U.S. Department of Justice. They're the authority on the program and we're a support program to help them however we can," said Elsa Guerrero, vice president of sales and marketing for AmberAlert.com.
AmberAlert.com is hoping to bring even more awareness when an Amber Alert is issued through their national initiative called the "Eyes and Ears Project."
"A grassroots initiative to get individuals to register to receive Amber Alerts on their cell phones, handhelds, iPhones -- whatever mobile device they have. We want them getting Amber Alerts directly," Guerrero said.
She says it's free to sign up and it only takes a few minutes.
"Our goal is to get in front of the states and let them know this is what we have and we can offer it to you. It's free. It's there, and if you want it, great," Guerrero said.
The company not only wants individuals to jump onboard to receive the Amber text alerts, but companies as well.
"We have so many drivers on the road and we're interfacing with so many high-risk kids, we thought this would be a great opportunity," said Neal Thomas, president of the transportation company Comtrans.
With more than 200 drivers on the job, Thomas thought Comtrans would be a great fit in the Eyes and Ears Project.
"We had one alert early this year and that alert was immediately rectified, and then we got an alert that it had been solved," Thomas said.
"I stopped and wrote all the information down, make of car, license plate and everything and any description," said Comtrans driver Gary Crowder. "I just taped it up on my dash. As I'm driving I keep an eye on it.
Guerrero says the goal is to get five million people signed up in the project by the end of next year.
"We like to say it takes less than two minutes but it could save law enforcement hours," she said.
