{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/52-34.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/52-34.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/52-34.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/52-34.1.html"}],"law_id":57818,"edition_id":1,"section_id":57818,"structure_id":15183,"section_number":"52-34.1","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2003, cc. 83, 86; 2007, c. 198.","full_text":"As used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Abducted child” means a child (i) whose whereabouts are unknown, (ii) who is believed to have been abducted, (iii) who is 17 years of age or younger or is currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age, and (iv) whose disappearance poses a credible threat as determined by law enforcement to the safety and health of the child and under such other circumstances as deemed appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Agreement” means the voluntary agreement between law-enforcement officials and members of the media whereby a child will be declared abducted, and the public will be notified, and includes all other incidental conditions of the partnership as found appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Alert” means the notice of child abduction provided to the public by the media or other methods under an Amber Agreement.\n\t\t“Amber Alert Program” or “Program” means the procedures and Amber Agreements to aid in the identification and location of abducted children.\n\t\t“Media” means print, radio, television, and Internet-based communication systems or other methods of communicating information to the public.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":211733,"text":"As used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Abducted child” means a child (i) whose whereabouts are unknown, (ii) who is believed to have been abducted, (iii) who is 17 years of age or younger or is currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age, and (iv) whose disappearance poses a credible threat as determined by law enforcement to the safety and health of the child and under such other circumstances as deemed appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Agreement” means the voluntary agreement between law-enforcement officials and members of the media whereby a child will be declared abducted, and the public will be notified, and includes all other incidental conditions of the partnership as found appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Alert” means the notice of child abduction provided to the public by the media or other methods under an Amber Agreement.\n\t\t“Amber Alert Program” or “Program” means the procedures and Amber Agreements to aid in the identification and location of abducted children.\n\t\t“Media” means print, radio, television, and Internet-based communication systems or other methods of communicating information to the public.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15183,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Amber Alert Program","identifier":"7.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12841,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:52:46","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:52:46","permalink":{"id":237457,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15183,"identifier":"7.1","token":"52\/7.1","url":"\/52\/7.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12841,"edition_id":1,"name":"Police (State)","identifier":"52","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:56","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:56","permalink":{"id":237127,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12841,"identifier":"52","token":"52","url":"\/52\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":57818,"structure_id":15183,"section_number":"52-34.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/52-34.1\/","token":"52\/7.1\/52-34.1","metadata":false},{"id":84348,"structure_id":15183,"section_number":"52-34.2","catch_line":"Establishment of the Virginia Amber Alert Program","url":"\/52-34.2\/","token":"52\/7.1\/52-34.2","metadata":false},{"id":65636,"structure_id":15183,"section_number":"52-34.3","catch_line":"Activation of Amber Alert Program upon an incident of child abduction","url":"\/52-34.3\/","token":"52\/7.1\/52-34.3","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":84348,"structure_id":15183,"section_number":"52-34.2","catch_line":"Establishment of the Virginia Amber Alert Program","url":"\/52-34.2\/","token":"52\/7.1\/52-34.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/52-34.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2003. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 83<\/a> and 86<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2007, chapter 198<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":58641,"section_number":"2.2-5517","catch_line":"Use of automatic license plate recognition systems by law-enforcement agencies","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-5517\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":237459,"object_type":"law","relational_id":57818,"identifier":"52-34.1","token":"52\/7.1\/52-34.1","url":"\/52-34.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/52-34.1\/","token":"52\/7.1\/52-34.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 52-34.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Abducted child<\/span>” means a child (i) whose whereabouts are unknown, (ii) who is believed to have been abducted, (iii) who is 17 years of age or younger or is currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age, and (iv) whose disappearance poses a credible threat as determined by law<\/span> enforcement to the safety and health of the child and under such other circumstances as deemed appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Agreement<\/span>” means the voluntary agreement between law<\/span>-enforcement officials and members of the media<\/span> whereby a child will be declared abducted, and the public will be notified, and includes all other incidental conditions of the partnership as found appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Alert” means the notice of child abduction provided to the public by the media<\/span> or other methods under an Amber Agreement<\/span>.\n\t\t“Amber Alert Program<\/span>” or “Program” means the procedures and Amber Agreements<\/span> to aid in the identification and location of abducted children.\n\t\t“Media<\/span>” means print, radio, television, and Internet-based communication systems or other methods of communicating information to the public.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 52-34.1)\n\nAs used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Abducted child” means a child (i) whose whereabouts are unknown,\n(ii) who is believed to have been abducted, (iii) who is 17 years of age or\nyounger or is currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth,\nregardless of age, and (iv) whose disappearance poses a credible threat as\ndetermined by law enforcement to the safety and health of the child and under\nsuch other circumstances as deemed appropriate by the Virginia State Police.\n\t\t“Amber Agreement” means the voluntary agreement between\nlaw-enforcement officials and members of the media whereby a child will be\ndeclared abducted, and the public will be notified, and includes all other\nincidental conditions of the partnership as found appropriate by the Virginia\nState Police.\n\t\t“Amber Alert” means the notice of child abduction provided to the\npublic by the media or other methods under an Amber Agreement.\n\t\t“Amber Alert Program” or “Program” means the\nprocedures and Amber Agreements to aid in the identification and location of\nabducted children.\n\t\t“Media” means print, radio, television, and Internet-based\ncommunication systems or other methods of communicating information to the\npublic.\n\nHISTORY: 2003, cc. 83, 86; 2007, c. 198.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}