Topeka ? Technicians working for SBC Communications Inc. are now part of the Amber Alert system for finding abducted children, the company and state officials said Monday.

David Kerr, SBC’s Kansas president, said that whenever law enforcement officials issued an Amber Alert, his company would page technicians in the field, so they can watch for vehicles, suspects or abducted children. SBC has more than 700 technicians statewide.

SBC announced its plans during a news conference at a Topeka preschool, with teachers and youngsters present. Also on hand were law enforcement officials, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Atty. Gen. Phill Kline.

“This will put over 700 new sets of eyes, ears and feet on the ground to help identify crucial information,” Kerr said.

Kline said SBC officials approached his office earlier this year, asking how the company could help with law enforcement efforts. That led to talks with SBC and the Communications Workers of America, he said.

The attorney general said he hoped SBC’s efforts would encourage other private companies to follow.

“This is a model program, actually,” Kline said. “It will make a difference.”

The Amber Alert system is named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in 1996 in Texas. The Kansas system, in which law enforcement officials provide information for radio and television stations to broadcast, began in September 2002.

Kansas law enforcement officials have issued four alerts, the first in May.