[Adopted 10-20-2009 by L.L. No. 5-2009]
This article shall be known as "The Rockland County Silver Alert
System."
A.
Seventy percent of Alzheimer's disease and other dementia patients
are cared for at home by family members in what are often extraordinary
and moving acts of love and devotion during the progress of the disease,
which on average lasts between five years and 15 years, and is marked
by progressive symptoms that over time make patients completely dependent
on their caregivers.
B.
A common behavior of this disease that causes great concern for families
and caregivers is wandering, and the risk to these vulnerable individuals
increases exponentially the longer they remain missing. There have
been several recent incidents in which an individual diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease or other form of dementia has engaged in wandering,
and the locality was not equipped with the tools necessary to locate
them in a timely manner, with the unfortunate result that these individuals
never returned home to their families.
C.
A number of states and municipalities as well as the federal government
have either developed or are considering a "Silver Alert" System,
similar to the Amber Alert System, which allows local law enforcement
to disseminate to media outlets vital information about these vulnerable
citizens who have wandered from their caretakers, to aid in the search
and safe return of these individuals to those responsible for them.
D.
In response to concerns raised by TRIAD (a volunteer group with a
focus on senior safety, consisting of three types of agencies, sheriffs,
police and senior citizens) regarding persons with cognitive impairments,
the Rockland County Legislature, in its ongoing mission to provide
essential services to protect its vulnerable population, intends by
this article to establish a Silver Alert System. This system will
provide rapid dissemination of information to the public regarding
missing senior citizens and other individuals suffering from Alzheimer's
disease, dementia, and other cognitive disorders in an effort to expedite
the search and safe recovery of those individuals.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The County of Rockland, New York.
A system that will provide the rapid dissemination of information
regarding missing senior citizens and other individuals suffering
from Alzheimer's disease, dementia or other cognitive disorders.
A.
The County Sheriff's Department, in conjunction with the various
town and village police departments, shall establish a Silver Alert
System, develop guidelines and set up procedures for issuing a Silver
Alert, and maintain a database of media, organizations and other outlets
to be notified when a senior citizen or other individual suffering
from Alzheimer's disease, dementia or other cognitive disorder is
reported missing.
B.
The Sheriff's Department will work jointly with the various town
and village police departments within the County and the Alzheimer's
Association National MedicAlert + Safe Return Program to rapidly disseminate
information regarding missing senior citizens and other individuals
suffering from Alzheimer's disease, dementia or other cognitive disorders.
C.
The relevant police department will issue a Silver Alert, unless
it is deemed inappropriate due to particular circumstances, each time
a senior citizen or other individual suffering from Alzheimer's disease,
dementia or other cognitive disorders is reported missing to the relevant
police department.
D.
The Silver Alert distributed to the public may contain the following
information, if available:
(1)
The missing individual's name;
(2)
The missing individual's age;
(3)
A physical description of the missing individual, including, if known,
a description of the clothing the individual was last seen wearing;
(4)
The last location where the missing individual was seen; and
(5)
The description of any motor vehicle the missing may be driving,
its license plate number and the direction in which it was last seen
traveling.
