What is a Texas Silver Alert?

The Texas Silver Alert was created by the state in 2007 to notify the public about missing older adults with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

When a Silver Alert is issued, the alert disseminates information about the person, including physical description, what they were wearing and where they were last seen.

For a Silver Alert to be issued, the following criteria must be met:

• Is the missing person 65 years of age or older or been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease?
• Does the person have a diagnosed impaired mental condition, and does the senior citizen's disappearance pose a credible threat to the senior citizen's health and safety?
• Is there sufficient information available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the person?
• Is the request being made within 72 hours of the disappearance?
• Has an investigation taken place verifying that the disappearance is due to the person's impaired mental condition and ruling out alternative reasons?

There are some additional requirements that must also be met.

The missing person's family or guardian must provide documentation from a medical or mental health professional of the diagnosed condition, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

If all conditions are satisfied, highway signs will only be activated if there is an accurate vehicle description and the missing person was driving the vehicle when they disappeared.

Anyone who sees a missing person from a Silver Alert is asked to call 911.

TEXAS STATEWIDE ALERT PROGRAMS

There are eight kinds of alerts that can be issued for missing or endangered people in Texas. They are listed below with links to a page with more information.

• Active Shooter Alert
• AMBER Alert
• Athena Alert
• Blue Alert
• Silver Alert
• CLEAR Alert
• Camo Alert
• Endangered Missing Person Alert