"Silver Alert" System Designed to Locate Missing Persons

Press Release

U.S. Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) today introduced an effort to create a nationwide network for locating missing adults and senior citizens. The Silver Alert Act, originally introduced in the 110th Congress, would create a national alert system modeled after the Amber Alert providing federal coordination and assistance across state lines.

"With the growing number of aging Americans, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, thousands of adults go missing every year," said Senator Martinez, the top Republican on the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. "Providing families and law enforcement agencies with the combined resources they need to locate loved ones is essential. This type of proven nationwide network will assist states and territories with developing their own location system and integrate local Silver Alert plans currently in place with the national network."

"Setting up a Silver Alert system for seniors who go missing due to Alzheimer's disease or dementia will promote the safety of our nation's seniors, while bringing peace of mind to many concerned families," said Senator Kohl, Chairman of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. "With half a million new cases of Alzheimer's every year, the need for a system of this kind will only grow."

The bill encourages states to develop Silver Alert plans and provides funding to enhance and integrate Silver Alert plans that are currently in place in various states. In 2008, the state of Florida implemented its version of the Silver Alert program allowing local law enforcement agencies within the state to work together while utilizing road signs and coordinating with the local media to locate the missing adults. This legislation directs the Department of Justice to establish a national communications network to assist efforts to locate missing senior citizens. It also reauthorizes Kristen's Act, which helps to maintain a national, interconnected resource center and clearinghouse for missing adults.

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