{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-39f.180","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 39F.180","heading":"Reports of missing, lost, or overdue persons -- Reports of search and","body":"rescue missions -- Golden Alert D -- Golden Alert -- Green Alert --\nAdministrative regulations on standard operating procedure -- Immediate\nsearch for lost, missing, or overdue person permitted.\n(1) All 911 centers and dispatch centers, law enforcement agencies, law enforcement\ndispatchers, fire departments, rescue squads, emergency medical service agencies,\nand emergency management agencies shall report the information required to be\nreported by administrative regulation, for all reports of persons missing, lost, or\noverdue, if a search for the lost person has lasted for more than two (2) hours to:\n(a) The local emergency management director; and\n(b) The local search and  rescue coordinator for the jurisdiction in which the\nperson is reported missing.\n(2) (a) Any missing person report for a missing minor, as that term is defined in KRS\n2.015, shall be immediately reported to the Department of Kentucky State\nPolice by the person or organization to whom the missing minor is reported.\n(b) A missing person report for an impaired person as defined in KRS\n39F.010(3)(a) shall immediately be reported as a Golden Alert D to the local\nemergency management director, local search and r escue coordinator if\ndifferent from the local emergency manager, local media outlets, and the duty\nofficer of the Division of Emergency Management by the person managing\nthe search or by the organization conducting the search, in a manner to be\nestablished by county policy.\n(c) A missing person report for an impaired person as defined in KRS\n39F.010(3)(b) shall immediately be reported as a Golden Alert to the local\nemergency management director, local search and rescue coordinator if\ndifferent from the local emergency manager, local media outlets, and the duty\nofficer of the Division of Emergency Management by the person managing\nthe search or by the organization conducting the search. The provisions of this\nsection do not apply to any licensed long -term hea lth care provider\nconducting a search for a missing resident until the provider requests a search\nby a person or organization specified in subsection (1) of this section.\n(d) A missing person report for a veteran at risk shall immediately be reported as\na Green Alert to the local emergency management director, local search and\nrescue coordinator if different from the local emergency management\nmanager, local media outlets, and the duty officer of the Division of\nEmergency Management by the person managing t he search or by the\norganization conducting the search. The provisions of this section do not\napply to any licensed long-term health care provider conducting a search for a\nmissing resident until the provider requests a search by a person or\norganization specified in subsection (1) of this section.\n(e) The duty officer of the Division of Emergency Management shall contact the\nTransportation Cabinet if the local search coordinator determines that at any\ntime during a search the use of electronic highway sign s will aid in the search\nand is in the best interest of the missing person.\n(f) The making of this report does not relieve the person or organization from the\nduty to make other notifications and reports required in this section.\n(3) Any search and rescue mission which has lasted four (4) hours without the subject\nbeing located shall be immediately reported to the duty officer of the Division of\nEmergency Management by telephone or radio. Any agency, including but not\nlimited to local law enforcement, the Kentucky State Police, fire departments,\nrescue squads, and emergency management,  that initiates a search for any missing\nperson not considered a Golden or Green Alert shall make the notifications\nindicated in subsection (2) of this section within four (4) hours of initiation of the\nsearch. Any search by any agency shall be reported to  the Division of Emergency\nManagement by telephone or radio within four (4) hours of initiation by the local\nsearch and rescue coordinator, the local emergency management director, or their\ndesignee.\n(4) The results of each lost, missing, or overdue person  report or search mission\nrequired to be reported under subsections (1) to (3) of this section shall be reported\nto the division and the local director on forms provided by the division and\ncontaining the information required by administrative regulation. The report shall\nbe filed within twenty (20) days after:\n(a) The search and rescue mission is discontinued; or\n(b) The victim has not been found and a decision is made to keep the case open or\ncontinue searching on a limited basis, whichever occurs earlier.\n(5) Each agency required to notify a local emergency management director or the\ndivision of a report of a missing person, or a search mission pursuant to this section\nshall develop a written standard operating procedure for handling and reporting\nrequests to search for missing, lost, or overdue persons. This standard operating\nprocedure shall be a public record.\n(6) The Transportation Cabinet shall promulgate administrative regulations in\naccordance with KRS Chapter 13A to develop a written standard opera ting\nprocedure for handling and reporting requests made by the duty officer of the\nDivision of Emergency Management to initiate the use of electronic highway signs\nas part of a search for a missing, lost, or overdue person. This standard operating\nprocedure shall be a public record.\n(7) The contents of reports, information to be conveyed upon notification, and other\nmatters relating to the administration of this section and the securing of information\nrequired hereby shall be specified by the division by administrative regulations.\n(8) There is no requirement in Kentucky to delay the search for or rescue of any lost,\nmissing, or overdue person. Any person who is reported lost, missing, or overdue,\nadult or child, may be searched for immediately by any emerge ncy management,\nfire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue, rescue\nsquad, or other similar organization to which a missing or overdue person is\nreported. Any agency searching for a lost or missing person shall utilize existing\nresources, including but not limited to electronic highway signs, the Amber Alert\nSystem, law enforcement communications systems, electronic media, local,\nregional, and statewide media providers, and the Integrated Public Alert and\nWarning System, if authoriz ed and under conditions permitted by the federal\ngovernment. No public safety answering point, emergency dispatch center, or 911\ncenter shall delay any call reporting a person lost, overdue, or missing to the\norganization specified in the county search and  rescue annex of the county\nemergency management plan as responsible for searching for lost, missing, or\noverdue persons.","path":["KRS Chapter 39F"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=51154","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:48:59Z","sha256":"d56da9123fde7320c0116aa5f46ba60230657d33fb2622468a85ef6f682f14d0","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-39f.170","next":"us-ky/krs-39f.190"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}