SLED to Test Statewide AMBER Alert System on Cell Phones Wednesday

Cell phones across South Carolina, including those in Bamberg County, sounded the familiar AMBER Alert tone Wednesday afternoon as the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division conducted a planned statewide test of the emergency notification system.

SLED conducted the statewide test of the AMBER Alert system on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. During that window, an AMBER Alert test message appeared on the SLED website and the AMBER Alert tone activated on cell phones within South Carolina. The test was a safety exercise, not a real-world incident.

The test was part of ongoing safety measures to ensure that new technology integrates into the existing state emergency alert system. SLED announced the exercise the day before, posting a press release to its website on Tuesday, March 24, giving South Carolinians advance notice to expect the tone.

Anyone startled by the alert had no cause for alarm. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division amplified SLED's notice on Facebook, sharing a graphic that read: "This is a test of the SC AMBER Alert system. No action required." The safety exercise was designed to help ensure new technology integrates into the existing state emergency alert system.

The test also came with immediate context. The AMBER Alert system is a nationwide child-abduction emergency notification network created to quickly notify the public when a child is missing and believed to be in danger. It was established in 1996 following the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Arlington, Texas.

The timing carried added weight in South Carolina. Just days before the test, the system was activated for an actual emergency, when a man shot a woman and fled the scene with her two children, prompting a real AMBER Alert on Friday afternoon, according to WYFF.

Newsrooms that did not receive the test AMBER Alert message during Wednesday's safety exercise were instructed to notify SLED's Public Information Office. Media inquiries can be directed to pio@sled.sc.gov. SLED headquarters is located at 4400 Broad River Road in Columbia and can be reached at 803-737-9000.