S1551

An Act concerning missing elderly persons, establishing emergency alert plan and supplementing chapter 17B of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Attorney General shall establish a program authorizing the broadcast media, upon notice from the State Police, to transmit an emergency alert message to inform the public of a missing elderly person. The program shall be a voluntary, cooperative effort between State and local law enforcement agencies and the broadcast media. For the purpose of this act elderly person means any person over the age of 65.

b. The Attorney General shall notify the broadcast media serving the State of New Jersey of the establishment of this program and invite their voluntary participation.

c. The following criteria shall be met before the State Police activate the emergency alert:

(1) The elderly person is believed to be missing;

(2) The elderly person may be in danger of death or serious bodily injury; and

(3) There is sufficient information available to indicate that an emergency alert would assist in locating the elderly person.

d. The participating media shall voluntarily agree, upon notice from the State Police, to transmit an emergency alert message to inform the public of a missing elderly person who resides within their broadcast service regions. The notice shall be provided through the State Police operational dispatch unit.

The alerts shall be broadcast as often as possible, pursuant to the guidelines established by the New Jersey Broadcasters' Association, for the first three hours. After the initial three hours, the alert shall be rebroadcast at such intervals as the investigating authority, the State Police, and the participating media deem appropriate.

The alerts shall include a description of the elderly person, and such other information as the State Police may deem pertinent and appropriate. The State Police shall in a timely manner update the broadcast media with new information regarding the missing elderly person when appropriate.

The alerts also shall provide information concerning how those members of the public who have information relating to the missing elderly person may contact the State Police or other appropriate law enforcement agency.

Concurrent with the notice provided to the broadcast media, the State Police operational dispatch unit shall also notify the Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Highway Authority, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority of the emergency alert. Through the use of their variable message signs, the department and the affected authorities shall inform the motoring public that an emergency alert is in progress and provide information as to how motorists may report any information they have to the State Police or other appropriate law enforcement agency.

e. The alerts shall terminate upon notice from the State Police.

f. The Attorney General, with the assistance of the participating broadcast media, shall develop and undertake a public education campaign to inform the public about the emergency alert program established under this act.

g. The Attorney General may adopt guidelines to effectuate the purposes of this act.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill would establish an emergency alert plan to notify the public of a missing elderly person. This emergency alert plan is based on the “Amber Plan” used by State Police to locate missing children. The “Amber Plan” is named after Amber Hagerman, a nine-year old Arlington, Texas child, who was abducted and killed in 1996.

Under the bill, the emergency alert plan would be a voluntary, cooperative effort between State and local law enforcement agencies and the broadcast media. Upon notice by the State Police, the participating broadcast media would transmit an emergency alert to inform the public of a disappearance of an elderly person in the area.

Under the provisions of the bill, the alerts are to be broadcasted as often as possible, pursuant to the guidelines established by the New Jersey Broadcasters' Association, for the first three hours. After the initial three hours, the alert shall be rebroadcast at such intervals as the investigating authority, the State Police and the participating media deem appropriate.

The alerts will include a description of the elderly person, and such other information as the State Police may deem pertinent and appropriate. The State Police will also update the broadcast media with new information regarding the missing elderly person when appropriate.

The alerts are to provide information concerning how those members of the public who have information relating to the missing elderly person may contact the State Police or other appropriate law enforcement agency.