By Dave Franzman
KCRG-TV9 News

Video
(Cedar Rapids – KCRG) --The kidnapping and murder of Jetsetta Gage last March is still raising questions with Iowa lawmakers and the main question asked Tuesday was did some Amber Alert "glitches" hamper the search for the Cedar Rapids girl?

The Iowa Legislature's Government Oversight Committee questioned those involved with the state's Amber Alert system. Lawmakers say they didn't want to point fingers. But they did want to know if the system needs any changes.

A software glitch kept the Amber Alert warning for Jetsetta Gage off highway signs in Cedar Rapids for hours on March 25th. And some lawmakers at the hearing also wanted to know what else went wrong that day...and what worked.

It took Cedar Rapids police about two and a half hours after the initial call to determine that a statewide alert was warranted. But Cedar Rapids Police Chief Mike Klappholz defended that time saying officers had to determine if an abduction took place and if the incident qualified for an Amber Alert.

Klappholz also told lawmakers that an Amber Alert tip did lead officers to an abandoned trailer in Johnson County where they found the body of the 10-year-old girl.

One state patrol officer says another "glitch" discovered afterwards was the way messages sent through the weather alert notification system may not have gone straight to newsrooms. In some media markets, the information was sent to the weather rooms...and someone might not have been there during overnight hours to see the alert.

Officials say they've changed procedures to make sure alerts get to newsrooms during "off" hours.

And the DOT has re-tested the highway signs to make sure the computers work correctly. Highway signs will now flash Amber Alert messages for 24 hours, unless cancelled by law enforcement officers.

Copyright CRTV Company