Comment Re:Simple... (Score 5, Insightful) 196
Came here to say this, as well. The useless amber alerts (and silver/blue alerts) from 600 miles away are the number one reason I and most people I know turn them off.
The reality is that basically all amber alerts are "false alarms" in that people can't do anything with them in most situations:
- At home? Useless unless the abductor is breaking into your house with the abductee.
- At work? Basically same as above. Office workers won't see them, and retail/similar employees probably aren't allowed on their cellphones to get the alert.
- Driving? You shouldn't be getting out your cellphone to check an alert while you're driving.
We all know what happens when people get useless alerts: they turn them off or just ignore them.
Fortunately, you can usually turn of JUST amber alerts on phones, but not all radio devices.