By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The states of Missouri and Kansas appear close to joining an Amber Alert system that uses the Internet to get news out about missing children more quickly.
The state's Public Safety Director, Mark James, is expected to recommend the system to Governor Matt Blunt, probably next week.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the state is ready to launch a similar Amber Alert system within a few weeks.
The system sends Amber Alerts by cell phone, pagers, e-mail, public message boards, and even to lottery sites and casinos. So far, four other states are using the system.
Amber Alerts are issued when children are missing. The Web-based Amber Alert systems are designed to reach people who may not hear the alerts over television, radio or highway message boards.