Thank you, Emma Teitel, for saying what the majority of us feel.

Having elderly siblings, I never turn off my phone. I woke with a start at 4:59 a.m. Tuesday but immediately knew there was an issue.

Reading the message made me so sad and I also prayed for the child’s safe return.

I hope the complainers, whose stupidity knows no bounds and who tied up 911 lines, never need to call for a real emergency and find the line busy. Although, that would be karma.

Rita Maio, Woodbridge

Life today is already fraught with enough annoying intrusions into our personal space and time that a loud ring at 4 a.m. essentially degenerates to being exactly that: yet another annoying intrusion. So what, specifically, is the recipient of such an alert expected to do? Forgo bedtime, don a housecoat and sniff about the backyard, flashlight in tow?

Amber Alerts are doubtlessly a very useful weapon in the arsenal of police forces, but let’s be realistic. Reserve them to TV and radio alerts, and billboard signs along the 400-series of highways, which has always been the norm.

And be prepared for complaints directed to 911, too, in the absence of any complaint line. It is the authorities who perhaps need to wake up and get a grip.

Edward P. Swynar, Newcastle

You suggest that people who don’t like Amber Alerts should remove their cellphone from the bedroom or turn it off. But what if I’m a surgeon on call?

Many people need their phone to be awoken so they can actually be of help. This is why many phones allow a setting that puts certain calls through, even if the phone is in “do not disturb” mode. This setting is unfortunately ignored by Amber Alerts.

Before the time of cellphones, only those who were awake were made aware of an Amber Alert. This was a sensible compromise between the needs of the many and the needs of the few. Listening to people’s concerns is the first step on a way to such a compromise.