Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli (D-Syracuse) announced today Assembly passage of a bill to expand the state’s Amber Alert system to include missing, disoriented adults (A.3507-A).

“The Amber Alert system has already demonstrated its usefulness in helping to safely track down missing children,” Magnarelli said. “It only makes sense to expand the system so that we can also safely locate missing or disoriented adults, such as those suffering from Alzheimer’s.”

The Amber Alert system went into effect in New York earlier this year. By coordinating between local law enforcement and the media in the event of a missing or kidnapped child, the system allows authorities to quickly disseminate critical information to the public, empowering citizens to help locate missing people. In 1999, Magnarelli led the effort that resulted in Onondaga County becoming just the second locality in the nation to implement this sort of alert system. He also led the effort in 2002 to create a statewide system.

“When we have a system proven to be as effective as the Amber Alert system, we must expand it for the protection of others in distress,” said Magnarelli. “Now, this system won’t be used only to help our kids; it will be used to help adults who are missing or in trouble, too.”