On May 1, 2007, the Texas State Legislature unanimously passed the Silver Alert System, which issues a statewide notice of a missing senior citizen. Silver Alert is modeled after the Amber Alert System and will use the same infrastructure currently used by state and local law enforcement.

The Silver Alert System is designed to inform the public when older people with mental impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease, go missing. State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, one of the bill’s authors, became interested in such a system after the disappearance of an elderly El Paso man revealed no effective way of issuing an alert.

The Silver Alert System will assist state and local law enforcement to locate the approximately 900 senior citizens who are reported missing statewide each year. Once signed by Governor Perry, the bill will go into effect September 1, 2007.

This new system will aid in the efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return program which is currently used by nearly 7,500 enrollees in Texas.