Connecticut Attorney General's Office
Press Release
Attorney General Urges "Silver Alert" To Protect Missing Senior Citizens
January 27, 2009
The proposed clearing house would be operated by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to provide a repository of information regarding missing senior citizens and coordinate public notification, using radio, television, Internet, electronic billboards and other media.
The Silver Alert would be modeled after the highly successful Amber Alert system already in place for missing children.
Blumenthal said there are 70,000 Connecticut residents with some form of dementia and -- 60 percent of them wander from their homes.
"A missing senior, no less than a missing child, can be our worst nightmare," Blumenthal said. "A Silver Alert, like an Amber Alert, can rescue and reunite a loved one. We owe our seniors the gold standard in Silver Alert.
"Very simply, a Silver Alert saves lives. Senior citizens with Alzheimer's Disease or forms of dementia -- mothers, fathers, grandparents and other loves ones -- may wander from home and endanger their health and safety.
"The Silver Alert idea was brought to my attention by senior advocates who seek to quickly locate missing seniors. Especially during the cold winter or inclement weather, the longer a person is missing, the higher the likelihood of harm."
Currently, 13 states have enacted Silver Alert systems -- Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
Blumenthal proposes amending Senate Bill 451 to the Connecticut Amber Alert process which immediately broadcasts an emergency missing persons notice to all radio and television stations through the Emergency Alert System, as well as through 2,800 Connecticut Lottery system retailers.