HONOLULU — Perennially ranked near the top of states with the highest number of residents age 65 or older per capita, Hawaii has become the latest to adopt an alert system to help locate missing seniors and those who are cognitively impaired or developmentally disabled. 

What You Need To Know

  • More than half of states nationwide have established Silver Alert Programs modeled after the AMBER Alert Program to help identify missing individuals
  • Lawmakers say the law will help provide immediate information to the public, facilitate a prompt response and enhance the chances of locating a missing individual
  • The alert would be transmitted within an area determined by the law enforcement agency and would involve the issuance of a “be on the lookout” alert and an electronic flyer and, as warranted, the activation of changeable message signs. The Wireless Emergency Alerts System may also be used to transmit information
  • The bill includes a $250,000 appropriation to establish and operate the program in its first year

Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 2305 on Monday, officially establishing a Silver Alert Program within the Department of Law Enforcement. 

“Establishing a Silver Alert Program will provide many benefits to our community and especially for our kupuna who go missing,” said state Sen. Brandon Elefante. “I’d like to thank Gov. Green as well as the community for all their hard work and support to get this important measure passed into law.”

More than half of states nationwide have established Silver Alert Programs modeled after the AMBER Alert Program to help identify missing individuals. Lawmakers say the law will help provide immediate information to the public, facilitate a prompt response and enhance the chances of locating a missing individual.

Under the Silver Alert Program, DLE may activate an alert if:

  • the missing person is age 65 or older, cognitively impaired or developmentally disabled;
  • all available local resources have been used;
  • the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances;
  • the agency believes the person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability or environmental weather conditions; they are in the company of a potentially dangerous person; or there are other factors indicating the person may be in peril; and
  • there is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.

The alert would be transmitted within an area determined by the law enforcement agency and would involve the issuance of a “be on the lookout” alert and an electronic flyer and, as warranted, the activation of changeable message signs. The Wireless Emergency Alerts System may also be used to transmit information.

The bill includes a $250,000 appropriation to establish and operate the program in its first year.

“I want to thank Gov. Green for signing SB 2305 into law today and prioritizing and protecting kupuna and our most vulnerable community members,” Rep. Cory Chun, who authored the companion House Bill 1774.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.