Wisconsin Attorney General Announces Implementation of Wireless Emergency Alerts for Silver Alert Program

Thursday, December 23rd, 2021 -- 10:00 AM

Attorney General Josh Kaul, in partnership with Wisconsin Emergency Management, announced the implementation of Wireless Emergency Alerts for the Silver Alert program.

WEAs can now be sent for certain Silver Alert cases. “Wisconsin DOJ and law enforcement agencies across the state are committed to locating people who’ve gone missing,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul.

“This enhancement to the Silver Alert program will allow us to make more people aware that they may be able to help bring someone nearby and on foot to safety.”

“Wireless Emergency Alerts are a valuable tool for getting information out to people in an affected area as quickly as possible,” said Wisconsin Emergency Management Acting Administrator Greg Engle.

“Using this targeted technology to help get the message out about Silver Alerts could help save lives.” A WEA will be issued for a Silver Alert case if the subject is on foot and has been missing for less than 24 hours.

The WEA will broadcast in a 5-mile radius of where the subject was last seen between the hours of 8:00 am and 9:00 pm. This criteria allows for the WEA to target a specific group of people in the area where the subject is likely to be located.

If you happen to locate the subject of a Silver Alert, call 911 immediately to report their location and be sure to make note of their clothing and direction of travel.

In order for a Silver Alert to be issued the subject:

Must be over age 60;

The subject is believed to have Alzheimer’s, dementia;

The subject is believed to have a permanent cognitive impairment that poses a threat to the individual’s health and safety;

There must be reason to believe that the subject’s disappearance is due to their impaired cognitive condition;

The request for a Silver Alert must be made within 72 hours of the subject’s disappearance;

And there must be sufficient information available to disseminate that could assist in locating the subject.

If your loved one goes missing the first thing you should do is alert your local police department. You can also reach out to Wisconsin Department of Justice Silver Alert program at 608-266-1671.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.