Silver Alerts

A Silver Alert is activated when a person with specific cognitive or developmental disabilities, as defined by statute, or a person 65 or older goes missing.
Before June 2018, this only applied to persons over 65.

The Silver Alert program aims to establish a notification system that provides immediate information to the public through issuing and coordinating alerts using various resources following a subject "gone missing" when specific criteria have been met.

The goal of the Silver Alert is to locate the missing person when the Silver Alert criteria are met through efficient information dissemination and communication that results in safe and expedient recovery.

Arizona Silver Alert Criteria

As prescribed by A.R.S. 41-1728, specific criteria are established in statute. DPS will issue a Silver Alert when the investigating law enforcement agency submits a request and have met the following criteria:

Arizona Silver Alert Criteria

• 1. The person is 65 years of age or older or has been diagnosed with a developmental disability as outlined in ARS 36-551.20*, Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
  2. The law enforcement agency investigating the missing person report:
     • Has used all available local resources.**
     • Has determined that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
     • Believes that the missing person is in danger because of any of the following:
          Age
          Health
          Mental or physical disability
          Environment or weather conditions
          In the company of a dangerous person
          Other factors that indicate peril
  3. There is enough information, if disseminated to the public, could assist in safe recovery.
     *ARS 36-551.20
     ** Exhaustion of all available resources includes:
     • Missing person report in NCIC (exception: entry may be pending if taken by abduction)
     • BOLO's, APB's, flyers with pictures of the missing person, bulletins
     • Checking area:
          Alternate residence(s)
          Hospitals (including VA hospitals if applicable)
          Jails
          Cell phone location systems (including carrier) and in-vehicle location systems
     • Contacting other family members and friends they may be staying with

Alert Activation Resources

• 1. Emergency Alert System (EAS): There is no specific code for Silver Alert activations. However, FEMA has given DPS permission to activate a generic EAS coding that is sent to Arizona broadcasters who may interrupt normal broadcast programming.
  2. Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA): There is no specific code for Silver Alert WEA activations. However, FEMA has given DPS permission to send alerts directly to a wireless phone of device when Silver Alert criteria has been met and the missing subject is in imminent danger of death. These types of alerts activations will be rare and only sent in extreme situations to a small area or region where the subject went missing or was last known to be.
  3. Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Vehicle Messaging System (VMS) Boards (only when missing person is believed to be in a vehicle).
  4. All Points Bulletin (APB): Regular broadcasts to law enforcement.
  5. The DPS Alerts Website.
  6. The Arizona DPS Mobile Application (for Apple and Android).
  7. Social Media (Twitter and Facebook), Text, and Email.