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Tori's Law: Petition Calls for Changes to OPP Amber Alert System
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by Tina Kells | May 26, 2009 at 11:11 am
791 views | 10 Recommendations | 10 comments
20,000 people so far have signed an online petition, known as Tori's Law, that calls for changes to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Amber Alert system. Tori's Law was named after Victoria Stafford, the 8-year old Woodstock Ontario girl who went missing in April of 2009 and is presumed dead.
An Amber Alert was not issued for Tori Stafford, who was captured on surveillance video with a young woman believed to have been her kidnapper. An Amber Alert was not issued in Tori's case because of OPP guidelines that stipulate abduction must be a fact, not a supposition. In the video footage Tori appears to be willingly walking with her captor.
New information indicates that had an Amber Alert been issued for Tori Stafford as soon as she went missing she may have been found in time to save her life.
The petition, titled "Tori's Law" after missing schoolgirl Victoria Stafford, was launched in light of the controversy surrounding the way police handled the child's case.
An Amber Alert was never initiated when eight-year-old Victoria went missing in Woodstock, Ont. on April 8 because police did not have enough information about her disappearance to send out the special signal.
An Amber Alert is a frequent bulletin that is broadcast in the media and on highway overpasses across Ontario in the immediate hours after a child goes missing. Police say they have to meet a certain criteria, such as a car description, before sending out the alert.
That type of information was not available to police at the time Victoria went missing.
Michael Thomas C.S. Rafferty, 28, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, have since been charged in the disappearance and murder of Tori Stafford. The little girl's body has not yet been found but OPP issued an alert for the backseat of Rafferty's car as part of the search to find Tori Stafford's remains.
Tori Stafford was filmed by a gas station surveillance camera within 10 minutes of her abduction; she was in the backseat of Michael Rafferty's 2003 blue Honda Civic. When the care was seized before Rafferty's arrest the backseat of the car was missing. That missing backseat has since been located in Kitchener, Ontario.
The 2003 blue Honda Civic with blotches of black spray paint was captured by cameras at an Esso station half a kilometre from Oliver Stephens Public School, where Tori studied. The car was recently seized by the police and "was not part of the information we had prior to the arrest of the suspect (Michael Rafferty, 28)," explained Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland, spokeswoman for the investigative team.
On April 8, Oxford Community Police officers visited the gas station at about 9 p.m. and checked video footage, said owner Jigar Patel. "A technician came the next day (April 9) and spent five or six hours and recorded everything (from the surveillance cameras)."
Patel recognized his gas station – on Norwich Ave. at Parkinson Rd. – from a photo released by investigators last Friday. The photograph had the time 4:24:29 printed on it but Patel said the time monitor on his surveillance cameras is about an hour ahead and he put the actual time at about 3:32 or 3:33 p.m. That would have been within minutes of Tori being taken.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (10)
at 03:53 on May 27th, 2009
There is absolutely no doubt that had this child been a so-called law enforcement officer's daughter the Amber Alert would have been issued immediately. And I believe that bthose who were supposed to be in charge at the time of the first report should be fired.
at 06:11 on May 27th, 2009
I would like to the Amber Alert system used AS SOON AS a child is reported missing. Please don't wait, if it has to be recinded because the child was found really quickly, that is so much better than waiting too long and not finding the child at all. Please, please increase the speed with which you initiate the Amber Alert.
at 06:34 on May 27th, 2009
There shouldn't be any criteria to issuing an Amber Alert. A child goes missing, the Amber Alert should be activated immediately. Sort out any problems/discrepancies after the child is found.
at 04:54 on May 29th, 2009
The delay in not posting the AMBER ALERT cost this child her life. The police rush to judgement and looked no further than the mother and her boyfriend are in fact as much at fault in causing this childs murder. Answer me this question: because people have had problems in the past does this make their children any less important? I for one believe that the children are not responsible for their parents behaviour so why do they have to pay with their LIVES.
at 14:24 on May 30th, 2009
I hope McClintoc gets the heavier penalty since she is the one who took Tori away. If it wasn't for her, the child would not have died. She knew what she was doing and why she took Tori. She knew Tori loved dogs (McClintoc's mother said her daughter knew Tori and saw Tori walking her dog). She brought Tori to her boyfriend and probably told him what to do. Either he was on drugs or just wanted to make his girlfriend happy and did what she said. At court he cried and was remorseful. She did not shed a tear.
It makes me angry when they say she is trying now to bring Tori home. We all wanted her to bring Tori home, but not like this. In a body bag? We all wanted her to bring Tori home in the same form she took that beautiful angel. She wants to now look like the good guy....well as far as I'm concerned she is the monster most responsible for this. She knew Tori and Tara. Rafferty didn't know them. McClintoc targeted this little girl and premedetated her murder whether she actually did it or not. Regardless it was because of her. She was in the video, not Rafferty. He is remorseful with tear, not her she is stoic. She is the monster and I HOPE she doesn't get any deal and this way regrets for the rest of her life taking Tori that day.
Police should have issued an amber alert immediately, so cars on the roads all over would keep their eyes peirced and possibly spotting the child and saving her life, as well as they should have gone door to door in the neighbourhood right away. Any mother or father would want police to do that for them. She was abducted. Her parent didn't know where she was and she was 8 for heaven sake, not 18, only a young 8 year old. What is wrong with the police? Don't they have any common sense?
Parents should warn their kids never go with anyone except their parents no matter what the person says and even if they think they know that person. These killers usually use puppies to lure children, they know they can get a child if they have a puppy with them.
I hope McClintoc rotts in jail and has a lot of time regretting and shedding some tears over what she did to that Beautiful Little Princess. Rafferty should also be punished for listening to McClintoc and being responsible for his actions even if he did it to make her happy. God Bless Her and May God Bring Peace to Her Family!!!
at 07:13 on June 1st, 2009
Regarding the Amber Alert I know that the Amber Alert has very good intentions and was born out of a need that we should never have to have however I do think that the scope is too narrow.Case in point Tori Stafford .Any child who's whereabouts is unknown should qualify as an Amber alert For all we know the criteria for the AQmber Alert may have actally caused her death If an Amber Alert was put out the night she was kidnapped (and I make no correction she was kidnapped )both the gas station tape and the one from the Home Depot in Kitchener/Wateloo would have been brought forward sooner Please ,please change this law so no other child/family/community have to endure this or at least give them/us a fighting chance against the enemy
Perhaps it is also time to consider the death penalty again especially for anyone who would dare hurt or murder a child We could be trendsetting ,what a fitting memory toTori Stafford.Lets let the criminals know that we will not accept them just sitting in jail for 10-12 years or even 20 when they have taken a life of a child.Pleas note that I have not accused anyone as even though it is hard a person is innocent till proven guilty but if they or whoever did this horrid thing should also pay with thei life An "eye for an eye" and we all know where that quote came from
at 18:05 on June 4th, 2009
I agree, its time to reinstate the death penalty to all child molesters, regardless of their sex... male or female, if they harm a child, then they deserve the death penalty.. time to get tough on these perpatrators.. enough is enough,
Fed up in Canada
at 20:13 on June 6th, 2009
This petition is emotionally charged but not logical. Too many Amber Alerts will be issued because every parent whose kid comes home 2 hours too late will be in a position to put out an Amber Alert. How many people still pay attention to car alarms? Very few and that's because they're overused. Also, Amber Alerts do very little to retrieve children in danger, according to at least one major study.
at 09:52 on June 9th, 2009
Really got to agree with the comments calling for the death penalty for child killers/molesters. When it is proven beyond a shadow of doubt someone's guilt in such crimes...then the only reasonable and logical and sane thing to do is get rid of them. Some may say no- let them rot in prison for 25 yrs. No no no!! Why??!! They are no longer entitled to remain on the earth, simple. We all know that no amount of professional help or medication or 'time-served' even remorse is never ever going to be enough to deem them worthy individuals again. They killed an angel, my God!!! What more convincing does anyone need to agree they are not entitled to live amongst us anymore? Think about Tori, think about her for just one moment and try to imagine how she suffered, of who she could have grown up to be, and think of all the others out there. I imagine that is my child and I am so distraught. Is there a lump in your throat, a tear in your eye? A sick sick feeling in the pit of your stomach? This is how we should all be feeling when we hear of such atrocities.We're all fed up ...let's do something...demand change, demand severe punishment for these creeps, demand for the sake of the children.
at 11:58 on June 10th, 2009
My opinion on the amber alert is to issue it immediately after a child goes missing, especially a young child under a certain age. If it is not issued immediately, it defeats the sole purpose of having the system in place. I am sure most people will agree the first few hours of a young child going missing is vital to returning them home safely, I think that the system failed this little girl, Victoria Stafford. From reading the news articles, it is alleged that the car of the accused was spotted at a near by Home Hardware parking lot in the evening( what time??)with the the litte girl inside. Is this true? If this is true, then there was some hours between the time she was abducted from her school to the evening. Would the amber alert have saved this little girl? We will never know. The fact that there may be an over flow of calls if the system is changed does not justify not changing an amber alert system , especially when very young children go missing. F or ths sake of all children, issue it right away. At least try it -on a trial basis. WE will never be able to know all those who are capable of doing these sick crimes in our society. They may be even living on our streets or the same block. We must put a secure system in place to protect our children from these evil monster of society.
It makes me mad that the lady accused wantedto do what she can to help the police to find the body of this little girl. I guess she does have a speck of remorse. It's too bad, the remorse didn't happen sooner, when they abducted her.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the late Victoria Stafford. Although I live many miles from where this tradgedy happened, I share your dispair, greif, and anger. Take care and bless you all. Remember your child for what she was, and celebrate her short life. I have a niece who is nine, that looks alot like Victoria, with blue eyes and short blonde hair. When I look at her, I think of Victoria, and it makes me cry that someone could actually hurt such a innocent human being.
Winters, Northern Labrador
Eventhough I live many miles away from the family of Victoria Stafford, I feel your pain, dispair and anger.