Silver Alert

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Public notification system in the United States

title: "Silver Alert" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["alzheimer's-disease", "emergency-communication", "emergency-services-in-the-united-states", "law-enforcement-in-the-united-states", "missing-people-organizations-based-in-the-united-states", "united-states-elder-law"] description: "Public notification system in the United States" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Alert" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Public notification system in the United States ::

Silver Alert is a public notification system in the United States to broadcast information about missing persons – especially senior citizens with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other mental disabilities – in order to aid in locating them.

Silver Alerts use a wide array of media outlets – such as commercial radio stations, television stations, and cable television – to broadcast information about missing persons. In some states (specifically Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Texas, Washington, Utah, and Wisconsin), Silver Alerts also use variable-message signs on roadways to alert motorists to be on the lookout for missing seniors. In cases in which a missing person is believed to be missing on foot, Silver Alerts have used Reverse 911 or other emergency notification systems to notify nearby residents of the neighborhood surrounding the missing person's last known location. Silver Alerts can also be used for children who are missing without being in danger or abducted.

Supporters of Silver Alert point to the United States' growing elderly population as a reason for new programs to locate missing seniors. Approximately 60% of dementia sufferers will wander off at least once.

However, a 2012 review of research into missing-senior programs found that Silver Alert had not been evaluated to determine whether it was effective in returning those people to safety, or even whether wandering was a severe enough problem to merit expending resources to address it. It characterized Silver Alert's rate of facilitating returns of missing people as "[i]mpossible to tell", because the statistical records are distributed among state agencies which do not necessarily publicize them. The researchers also criticized it and similar programs for prioritizing safety over civil rights such as autonomy, and noted that broadcasting a missing person's identity might put them at risk for exploitation (such as identity theft).

History

In December 2005, Oklahoma state Representative Fred Perry (R-Tulsa) announced his intention to introduce an "AMBER Alert for seniors", which he dubbed "Silver Alert."{{cite news |last = Holleyman |first = Summer |title = OK-Representative plans 'Silver Alert' system for finding missing seniors |publisher = iCapitol.net |date = December 6, 2005 |url = http://icapitol.net/topic_01NU0ZBN9I/readstory.oki?storyid=0OF104L5A |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110723151455/http://icapitol.net/topic_01NU0ZBN9I/readstory.oki?storyid=0OF104L5A |archive-date = July 23, 2011 |df = mdy-all | last = Coppernoll | first = Carrie | title = Senior advocates aim to take alerts national | publisher = Daily Oklahoman | date = March 24, 2008 | url = http://newsok.com/senior-advocates-aim-to-take-alerts-national/article/3220044}} In response to this non-binding resolution, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety added Silver Alert notifications to the statewide alerts sent to law enforcement agencies and the media for rapid distribution.{{cite news | title = The Safety Signal | publisher = Oklahoma Department of Public Safety | date = October 2007 | url = http://www.dps.state.ok.us/SafetySignal/sig-07-10.pdf}} In April 2009, Governor Brad Henry signed legislation permanently establishing the Silver Alert program.{{cite news |title = Gov. Henry Signs Silver Alert Law, Program to Aid Missing Seniors Modeled after Amber Alert |publisher = Office of Governor Brad Henry |date = April 16, 2009 |url = http://www.state.ok.us/governor/display_article.php?article_id=1224&article_type=1 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927144725/http://www.state.ok.us/governor/display_article.php?article_id=1224&article_type=1 |archive-date = September 27, 2011 |df = mdy-all

In Georgia, public efforts to locate missing seniors increased following the April 2004 disappearance of Mattie Moore, a 68-year-old Atlanta resident with Alzheimer's disease. Eight months after Moore's disappearance, her body was found 500 yards (460 m) from her home.{{cite news |title = Atlantans to mark the 5th Anniversary of the disappearance of Mrs. Mattie Moore |publisher = City of Atlanta Daybook |date = April 20, 2009 |url = http://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/story/2009/04/20/19405mattiescallanniversary.shtml |access-date = June 19, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090422000353/http://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/story/2009/04/20/19405mattiescallanniversary.shtml |archive-date = April 22, 2009 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all |title = Ordinance 04-0-1101, Authorizing the Establishment of Mattie's Call |publisher = Atlanta City Council |date = June 24, 2004 |url = http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/2004/IMAGES/adopted/0621/04O1101.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061001231207/http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/2004/Images/Adopted/0621/04O1101.pdf |archive-date = October 1, 2006 |df = mdy-all

In Florida, local and state government officials worked together to develop a pilot Silver Alert program following the case of an 86-year-old person who drove away from her assisted-living facility on February 26, 2008, and was found dead a week later, 10 mi away in the Intracoastal Waterway near a boat ramp and her submerged car.

National growth

Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have Silver Alert or similar programs targeting missing seniors.

Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have missing persons recovery programs that are formally called "Silver Alert":

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Mississippi
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

Additionally, nine states have programs to help locate missing seniors that are not officially called "Silver Alert" but contain criteria similar to existing Silver Alert programs:

  • Alabama Missing Senior Alert
  • Colorado Missing Senior Citizen Alert
  • Georgia Mattie's Call
  • Kentucky Golden Alert
  • Michigan Mozelle Senior or Vulnerable Adult Medical Alert Act
  • New Hampshire Missing Senior Citizen Alert
  • New York Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert
  • Ohio Missing Adult Alert
  • Virginia Senior Alert

Plus, ten states have missing-persons alert systems with broader criteria than conventional Silver Alert programs. These missing-person alerts apply to larger categories of endangered persons, or apply to all missing people, regardless of age or impairment:

  • Delaware Gold Alert
  • Idaho Endangered Missing Person Alert
  • Minnesota Brandon's Law
  • Missouri Endangered Person Advisory
  • Montana Missing and Endangered Persons Advisory
  • Nebraska Endangered Missing Advisory
  • Pennsylvania Missing and Endangered Person Advisory
  • South Dakota Endangered Persons Advisory
  • Utah Endangered Person Advisory
  • Wyoming Endangered Person Advisory

Federal legislation

In May 2008, Representative Lloyd Doggett introduced the National Silver Alert Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill to encourage, enhance, and integrate Silver Alert plans throughout the United States. Similar legislation was filed by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Sue Myrick (R-NC). The three bills were combined into a single bill, H.R. 6064. The bill was passed by the House in September 2008 by a voice vote, but the 110th Congress adjourned before it could be considered in the U.S. Senate.

The National Silver Alert Act was re-introduced in the 111th Congress as H.R. 632. It was passed by the House of Representatives on February 11, 2009, on a voice vote. Companion legislation (S.557) was introduced in the Senate by Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI).

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) reintroduced the bill as S.1814 in the 113th Congress on December 12, 2013. The National Silver Alert Act was referred to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary but was not voted on before the U.S. Senate adjourned.

The National Silver Alert Act has been endorsed by the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA), Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Foundation of America, Elder Justice Coalition, National Silver Haired Congress, the National Association of Police Organizations and the National Sheriffs' Association.

Criticism

Critics of Silver Alert have raised concerns that the proliferation of color-coded alerts will reduce their importance, risking that alerts would be ignored as a "wolf cry". For example, Texas has created an Amber Alert, Silver Alert and Blue Alert (issued to locate an assailant in the event a law enforcement officer is killed or injured.) In New York, Governor George Pataki vetoed Silver Alert legislation in 2003, citing his concern that it would weaken the Amber Alert system and make the alerts too common. In the absence of state-level legislation, local Silver Alert programs have been enacted by New York City and five New York counties: Rockland, Suffolk, Nassau, Niagara and Erie.

Some critics have raised concerns about the cost of implementing the Silver Alert program on a nationwide basis. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that implementation of the National Silver Alert Act would cost $59 million over a five-year period. During the House debate on the cost, Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) noted that states with Silver Alerts have reported nominal costs associated with operating the system, since they are able to utilize existing Amber Alert infrastructure to issue Silver Alerts.

Retrieval rate

In Texas, the Silver Alert system was invoked 52 times in the first year following its inception in September 2007. Of these alerts, 48 of the missing seniors were located safely, and 13 of these recoveries were directly attributable to Silver Alert.

In Florida, 136 Silver Alerts were issued in its first year (2008–2009), leading to 131 safe recoveries. 19 of these recoveries were directly attributable to Silver Alert. According to a press release by the office of the governor of Florida, in the 2 years following the initiation of the program in October 2008, 227 Silver Alerts were issued in Florida and 220 seniors were subsequently located safely; 36 of these recoveries were attributed directly to the Silver Alert. Over three years, 377 Silver Alerts have been issued in Florida, with 367 seniors located safely, and 51 of those recoveries attributed directly to the Silver Alert.

In North Carolina, 128 Silver Alerts were issued in 2008. Of these, 118 seniors were safely recovered.

In Georgia, according to a spokesperson for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Mattie's Call garnered a safe return for 70 of the 71 calls issued between its inception in 2006 and January 2009.

In Wisconsin, 18 Silver Alerts were issued in the first 5 months of the program, out of which 15 of missing seniors were found and safely returned home.

References

References

  1. (May 4, 2010). "More with Dementia Wander from Home".
  2. "Programs to Locate Missing and Critically Wandering Elders: A Critical Review and a Call for Multiphasic Evaluation". Oxford University Press.
  3. "House Bill 728". Georgia General Assembly, Enacted April 28, 2006.
  4. (February 23, 2009 ). "Florida's Silver Alert spurs a national plan".
  5. (July 10, 2013). "Governor Signs Silver Alert Legislation". Office of Governor Sean Parnell.
  6. (April 25, 2014). "Brewer gives nod to new 'Silver Alert' system for elderly". Associated Press.
  7. (April 6, 2009). "Governor Beebe Announces New Silver Alert Program".
  8. "What is a Silver Alert?". California Highway Patrol.
  9. "Connecticut Silver Alert System". United Way of Connecticut.
  10. "District of Columbia Silver Alert Program Announced!". Maryland D.C. Delaware Broadcasters Association.
  11. "FHP Locates Silver Alert Subject". Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
  12. (December 31, 2009). "New law takes effect to help find missing adults".
  13. (July 1, 2009). "Missing Persons Alerts Get New Silver Lining". Greensburg Daily News.
  14. "Kansas Silver Alert Protocol". Attorney General of Kansas.
  15. (July 3, 2008). "Governor Jindal Signs Bills Into Law". Office of Governor Bobby Jindal.
  16. (April 29, 2010). "Baldacci Signs "Silver Alert" Bill". Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
  17. "Maryland's Silver Alert Program". Maryland State Police.
  18. Judson, Jen. (August 11, 2010). "Gov. Patrick signs Silver Alert bill". Waltham Daily News Tribune.
  19. (March 25, 2010). "New Mississippi law sets alerts for missing elderly". Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
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  21. Lu, Adrienne. (December 24, 2009). "N. J. adopts alert system for missing seniors, others".
  22. (April 1, 2013). "Governor Susana Martinez Signs Silver Alert Legislation, Allowing DPS to Issue Alerts for Missing Seniors". State of New Mexico, Office of the Governor.
  23. "The Silver Alert Program". North Carolina Department of Crime Control & Public Safety.
  24. "Silver Alert". North Dakota Highway Patrol.
  25. McNutt, Michael. (April 17, 2009). "Silver Alert measure signed into law by Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry". Daily Oklahoman.
  26. McAlice Currie, Carol. (March 5, 2014). "Governor signs 'Silver Alert' bill". Salem Statesman-Journal.
  27. "Rhode Island Title 42, Chapter 28". Rhode Island General Assembly.
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  29. (October 15, 2009). "Alert system for missing seniors now law; next comes implementation". WBIR.
  30. "Silver Alert Activation Instructions".
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  33. (April 11, 2014). "Investing in Wisconsin's Communities: Governor Scott Walker Signs Silver Alert Public Safety Legislation". Office of Governor Scott Walker.
  34. "Alabama Missing Senior Alert". Alabama Department of Public Safety.
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  36. "Mattie's Call". Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
  37. (October 1, 2008). "Kentucky Golden Alert Law". Seniors Digest.
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  39. "Missing Senior Citizen Alert Program". N.H. RSA 106-J:4.
  40. (July 25, 2011). "Governor Cuomo Signs Law to Create Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert System". Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo.
  41. Cavallaro, Emanuel. (June 21, 2008). "Ohio implements Amber Alert for missing adults". Springfield News-Sun.
  42. "Virginia Senior Alert". Virginia State Police.
  43. "11 Delaware Code Annotated §§ 8580–8583".
  44. "Endangered Missing Person Alert, Idaho Senate Bill 1378 (2022)".
  45. Von Sternberg, Bob. (May 8, 2009). "Adults added to missing children's law". Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
  46. "About the Endangered Person Advisory". Missouri State Highway Patrol.
  47. "Missing and Endangered Person Advisory". Montana Department of Justice.
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  51. "Endangered Person Advisory". Utah Department of Public Safety.
  52. (October 23, 2009). "Wyoming announces new program to help find people". KPVI.
  53. (April 24, 2008). "Rep. Bilirakis Introduces Bill Creating Silver Alert Grant Program". Office of Rep. Gus Bilirakis.
  54. (May 4, 2005). "Myrick introduces Kristen's Act Reauthorization of 2005". Office of U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick.
  55. "H.R. 6064". THOMAS Legislative Database, Library of Congress.
  56. "H.R. 632". THOMAS Legislative Database, Library of Congress.
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  58. (December 17, 2013). "Manchin, Rockefeller, Coons, Schumer, McCaskill, Klobuchar Introduce Silver Alert Bill to Help Locate Missing Seniors". Office of Senator Joe Manchin.
  59. (December 12, 2013). "S. 1814". United States Legislative Information, Library of Congress.
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  63. (May 3, 2010). "'Silver Alert' System to Safeguard Seniors". New City Patch.
  64. (March 12, 2009). "Suffolk Executive Levy Signs "Silver Alert System" Initiative". Suffolk County Government.
  65. (August 10, 2009). "Nassau OKs Silver Alert system for elderly wanderers". Newsday (New York).
  66. (August 21, 2010). "Sheriff unveils Silver Alert system for missing seniors". Buffalo News.
  67. (November 5, 2010). "Silver Alerts coming to Erie County". Buffalo News.
  68. (September 4, 2008). "Cost Estimate, H.R. 6064, National Silver Alert Act". Congressional Budget Office.
  69. (February 10, 2009). "Congressional Record". U.S. House of Representatives.
  70. (September 15, 2008). "Congressional Record". U.S. House of Representatives.
  71. (May 2024). ["136 Silver Alerts issued in system's 1st year"](http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1398282.html}}{{dead link).
  72. "Silver Alert Monthly Report, November 2009". Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
  73. (October 8, 2010). "Florida Celebrates Two Year Anniversary Of Silver Alert Program". TheGovMonitor.com.
  74. (October 7, 2011). "Three Year Anniversary Of Florida's Silver Alert Plan". wtxl.com.
  75. (March 4, 2009). "Silver Alert Activations Summary". North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.
  76. (January 10, 2009). "System successful in finding lost adults".
  77. (January 14, 2015). "Five Months After Launch, Officials Say Statewide "Silver Alert" Program Has Been a Success". Fox 6 News.

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alzheimer's-diseaseemergency-communicationemergency-services-in-the-united-stateslaw-enforcement-in-the-united-statesmissing-people-organizations-based-in-the-united-statesunited-states-elder-law