New Facebook Alerts Aimed At Finding Missing Children

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Experts say it could make a big difference in finding kids who have been abducted.

Facebook announced it will add amber alerts to your news feed.

Detective Brian Kohlhepp from Ross Township Police applauds the move because he says seconds really do count when it comes to a missing child.

"With these cases, they're so quick and so fast developing. And anything that can get the information out to the public, so they can be the eyes and ears out and let us know if they see someone, can be hugely beneficial," said Det. Kohlhepp.

Since the alerts started in 1996, they've helped find more than 700 children.

Facebook will make an alert the second post of your news feed, and because it tracks where users are when they log in, it'll only send the message to people who are in the area police want to target.

There are so many people on Facebook that some police departments say it's already a great tool to get out and receive information in cases.

Some people may not get any Amber Alerts from Facebook, but others may get a few a year depending on where you live.

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