OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A petition to change the AMBER alert system has been gaining traction online following the murder of three young girls earlier this year.

Named for the mother of the three murdered girls, Whitney’s Law seeks to change how AMBER Alerts are issued.

The alert system that notifies residents in an area of a possible child abduction was not triggered when the three girls did not return from a scheduled visitation with their father, Travis Decker.

When the girls, named Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia, were first reported missing, a SILVER Alert was issued, which does not use the Emergency Alert System like AMBER does.

According to the Office of Justice Programs website:

Each state AMBER Alert plan includes its own criteria for issuing AMBER Alerts. The PROTECT Act, passed in 2003, which established the role of AMBER Alert Coordinator within the Department of Justice, calls for the Department of Justice to issue minimum standards or guidelines for AMBER Alerts that states can adopt voluntarily.

The Department’s Guidance on Criteria for Issuing AMBER Alerts is as follows:

• There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
• The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
• There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
• The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
• The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.

The girls’ abduction did not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert, as the custody of a parent does not necessarily justify abduction. The girls were found murdered at a campsite in Wenatchee shortly after going missing.

The suspected killer, Travis Decker, has not been found despite a months-long manhunt and multiple possible sightings.

As of Wednesday, the petition has over 7,000 signatures.