BOISE -- When 8-year-old Robert Manwill went missing Friday, Boise police officers requested an AMBER alert through Idaho State Police but the request was denied.

But Dawn Peck with The Idaho State Police says Boise investigators had no solid leads the child had indeed been abducted, a top requirement for an alert.

"Without any evidence of abduction, we could not proceed with an AMBER alert," said Peck.

According to the Department of Justice, AMBER plans require law enforcement to confirm an abduction prior to issuing an alert. This is essential when determining the level of risk to the child. Clearly, stranger abductions are the most dangerous for children and thus are primary to the mission of an AMBER Alert.

The Justice Department, on the AMBER website, says to allow activations in the absence of significant information that an abduction has occurred could lead to abuse of the system and ultimately weaken its effectiveness.

The main criteria for an AMBER alert are: reasonable belief by police an abduction has occurred, imminent danger of serious injury or death, sufficient description of the victim and abduction, the child is 17 years or younger and the name is entered into the national crime information center system.

The AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.