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First Amber Alert, Now Silver Alert

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Sep 15, 2006 9:55 pm US/Central

First Amber Alert, Now Silver Alert

Alert Finds Elderly People

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― A new system called Silver Alert is helping law enforcement agencies find elderly people who wander away from home.

When a vulnerable senior citizen is missing, the Illinois State Police can issue a regional or statewide alert through the system, which is modeled after Amber Alerts about missing children.

Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent says the system, which started earlier this year, can get quick results. He says state police received a message yesterday morning of a missing senior. Shortly after, a DeKalb County sheriff located the person after a minor traffic accident.

The law creating the system was sponsored by Rep. Dan Beiser of Alton, who has two aunts with Alzheimer's disease. A handful of other states are considering similar programs.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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