52:17B-194.4 "Silver Alert System" established.

1. a. The Attorney General shall establish a "Silver Alert System" which shall provide a Statewide system for the rapid dissemination of information regarding a missing person who is believed to have dementia or other cognitive impairment. The program shall be a voluntary, cooperative effort between State and local law enforcement agencies and the media, including but not limited to print, radio, and television media outlets.

b. (1) The Attorney General shall notify the media serving the State of New Jersey of the establishment of the Silver Alert System, and invite their voluntary participation.

(2) The Attorney General, in consultation with the Division of State Police, shall develop and establish a plan to disseminate Silver Alert information through social media accounts maintained by the Division of State Police. The Silver Alert information required to be disseminated shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the missing person, any known details of the disappearance, and a recognizable photograph of the missing person. The Office of the Governor, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, and the Department of Human Services shall, and any other appropriate State, county, or municipal entity may, disseminate Silver Alert information made available by the Division of State Police on their respective social media accounts.

c. The Missing Persons Investigative Best Practices Protocol Unidentified Deceased Persons Investigative Guidelines, promulgated by the Missing Persons and Child Exploitation Unit in the Division of State Police, shall be revised to incorporate procedures for issuing an alert regarding missing persons believed to have dementia or other cognitive impairment. The guidelines and procedures shall ensure that specific health information about the missing person is not made public through the alert or otherwise.

L.2009, c.167, s.1; amended 2016, c.78, s.2; 2017, c.131, s.188.