[§353C-15] Silver alert program; missing vulnerable persons. (a) The department shall develop and implement a silver alert program to rapidly disseminate information about a person subject to the silver alert.
(b) If a person is reported missing to a law enforcement agency and that agency determines that the conditions of subsection (g) are met, the agency may request the department to activate a silver alert. If the department concurs that the conditions of subsection (g) are met, the department shall activate a silver alert within the geographical area requested by the investigating law enforcement agency.
(c) Radio, television, cable, and satellite systems are encouraged to, but not required to, cooperate with disseminating the information contained in a silver alert.
(d) Upon activation of a silver alert, the department shall assist the investigating law enforcement agency by issuing a be-on-the-lookout alert, issuing an electronic flyer, or activating a changeable message sign, as permissible.
(e) The department, as permitted, may use the Wireless Emergency Alerts System.
(f) The department, as permitted, may use a changeable message sign if the following conditions are met:
(g) A law enforcement agency may request from the department that a silver alert be activated if the agency determines that all of the following conditions are met regarding the investigation of the missing person:
(h) For purposes of this section:
"Cognitively impaired" means affected by a cognitive impairment, as defined in section 431:10H-201.
"Developmentally disabled" means affected by a severe, chronic disability of a person that:
"Silver alert" means a notification system, activated pursuant to this section, designed to issue and coordinate alerts with respect to a situation that meets the conditions of subsection (g). [L 2024, c 158, §2]