Windsor police say Amber Alerts are meant to grab people's attention given the grave situation at hand.
Many people were surprised Thursday night to receive an alert on their cell phone, for an 11-year-old girl in the Brampton area.
The girl's father Roopesh Rajkumar, 41, has been charged with first-degree-murder after the girl's body was found in his home.
"An Amber Alert, if that is issued, a young person is in eminent danger and we want to get that word out. The community is always the eyes and ears of the police," says Sgt. Steve Betteridge.
Some had complained the alert woke them up, but Betteridge says people need to put themselves in the shoes of the frantic mother looking for her child.
"Think of it, the person in need, if that is a relative, if that is a close friend, if that is a family member, how would you want that word to spread? Would you want it wait until business hours if you will."
He adds emergencies don't wait.
"In policing and in emergencies, that's a 24-7, 365 days a year situation, meaning an emergency can come up at any time and always, let's not forget, the primary focus is a young person in dire need."
He notes thankfully, there aren't many Amber Alerts that are issued but when there are, people need to pay attention.