Law enforcement launches endangered person alert system

Law enforcement officials statewide in Iowa will help spread the word about “endangered persons” who go missing.

The announcement Tuesday about a new Endangered Persons Advisory came in news conferences in Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids.  And organizers say they're taking a page from the well known Amber Alert program.

In an Amber Alert, law enforcement determines a child was abducted and is in serious danger.  That determination can trigger the use of electronic highway signs, notices to the media and even text alerts to cell phones.

The Endangered Persons Advisory is targeted at seniors with medical conditions like dementia or Alzheimer's who could be in physical danger if they wanted away from caretakers. Officials say it might also apply to children with certain conditions-such as Autism.

Kelly Hauer, executive director of the East Central Iowa Alzheimer's Association, said the new program is a vast improvement over the informal system or organizing volunteers or trying to individually contact the media.  By going directly to law enforcement, those searching can save time-and time in such cases is an important commodity.

“Involving the media and public as quickly as possible becomes critical because time is an issue.  If not found within 24 hours, serious injury or death can occur,” Hauer said.

Under the new program, police will evaluate details about the missing endangered person before triggering a formal alert.  And authorities are less likely to use highway signs or a statewide notification system unless there is evidence the person missing has left the area with someone else.  In most cases, when an endangered person wanders off, they're usually located within a mile or two of where they went missing.