Wisconsin Police Use GM's OnStar to Rescue Abducted Baby
29 Juni 2005 - 9:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
Wisconsin Police Use GM's OnStar to Rescue Abducted Baby They
credit combination of OnStar and AMBER Alert in child's speedy
recovery DETROIT, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Police in Wisconsin are
crediting General Motors' OnStar system and the AMBER Alert program
with the successful rescue of a 17-month-old child taken last
Thursday from his mother's home. Although this was a stolen
vehicle, the child, who was the subject of an AMBER Alert, was
recovered in good condition hours after several men were arrested
in connection with beating the child's mother, abducting the child
and stealing the mother's 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix, which was
equipped with the OnStar safety and security system. Police saved
precious time by working with an OnStar advisor to locate the
stolen vehicle and, later, two suspects. Through questioning, a
third suspect who was holding the child was located. OnStar played
a huge role in finding this child," said Greenfield, Wis. Police
Lt. Brad Wentlandt, who coordinates emergency dispatch operations.
"All of our personnel were aware of OnStar's capabilities after
OnStar sent us a video training kit recently." The educational
OnStar training kit teaches emergency service personnel how to
interact with OnStar personnel to take full advantage of the
GPS-enabled technology. Based on that, officers correctly assumed
that the GM-made Pontiac was equipped with OnStar. "This child is
safe today because of a great combination of OnStar's service and
excellent police work," Wentlandt said. "This is the kind of moment
that motivates all of us to come to work every day," said Cathy
McCormick, OnStar Service Line Manager of Emergency Services. "When
a child is missing, every second counts to increase the likelihood
of a safe return. OnStar is happy -- humbled, really -- to be able
to share our technology with law enforcement to recover a missing
child." OnStar joined with the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children last year in an effort to use OnStar technology
and its more than 3 million subscribers to locate missing and
abducted children. NCMEC helped develop the AMBER Alert program
nationwide, a successful partnership between the nation's law
enforcement agencies and radio and television stations that
activates emergency bulletins to the public when a child is
abducted and believed to be in danger. "We know that just one lead
can result in finding a child," said Ernie Allen, president and CEO
of NCMEC. "OnStar technology and the AMBER Alert program give law
enforcement officers an advantage they need to find missing and
abducted children and bring them home safely." An OnStar subscriber
who wants to report emergency information related to an AMBER alert
or a lost child can press the red OnStar emergency button in his or
her vehicle. Immediately, the subscriber will be connected with an
OnStar emergency services advisor, who will expedite the call to a
911 dispatcher. Each month, GM's OnStar receives about 14,000
emergency assistance calls, as well as 4,500 Good Samaritan calls.
OnStar call centers are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
365 days a year. OnStar is available to subscribers and the
nation's 6,000 emergency 911 centers in all 50 states and every
Canadian province. About OnStar OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary
of General Motors, is the leading provider of in-vehicle safety,
security and communication services using wireless technology and
the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network. OnStar is
available on more than 50 GM models for 2005. By the end of 2007,
OnStar will be a standard feature for GM's retail customers in the
United States and Canada, covering all segments and prices except
for some commercial vehicles. OnStar safety and security services
include automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen
vehicle location assistance, emergency services, roadside
assistance, remote door unlock, and GM Goodwrench remote vehicle
diagnostics. OnStar Hands-Free Calling allows drivers to make and
receive hands-free, voice-activated calls from their vehicle. More
information about OnStar can be found at http://www.onstar.com/ .
DATASOURCE: General Motors Corporation CONTACT: Jim Schell of
OnStar, +1-313-665-2790, or Web site: http://media.gm.com/
http://www.gm.com/ http://www.onstar.com/
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