{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-public-safety-3-604","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, Public Safety § 3–604","heading":"","body":"(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.\n(2) “Caregiver” means a parent, spouse, guardian, legal custodian, or person responsible for the supervision of another adult.\n(3) “Law enforcement agency” means a State, county, or municipal police department or agency, or a sheriff’s department.\n(4) “Missing person” means an individual:\n(i) whose whereabouts are unknown;\n(ii) who suffers a cognitive impairment including a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia to the extent that the individual requires assistance from a caregiver; and\n(iii) whose disappearance poses a credible threat to the health and safety of the individual due to age, health, mental or physical disability, environment, or weather conditions, as determined by a law enforcement agency.\n(b) (1) The Department of State Police shall establish a Silver Alert Program to provide a system for rapid dissemination of information to assist in locating a missing person.\n(2) The Department of State Police shall:\n(i) adopt guidelines and develop procedures for issuing a Silver Alert for a missing person;\n(ii) provide training to local law enforcement agencies on the guidelines and procedures to be used to handle a report of a missing person;\n(iii) provide assistance to a local law enforcement agency, as necessary, to assist in the safe recovery of a missing person;\n(iv) recruit public and commercial television and radio broadcasters, local volunteer groups, and other members of the public to assist in developing and implementing a Silver Alert;\n(v) consult with the State Highway Administration to establish a plan for providing information relevant to a Silver Alert to the public through the dynamic message sign system located across the State; and\n(vi) consult with the State Department of Education to develop a program that:\n1. allows high school students to assist in the search for a missing person under this section;\n2. complies with COMAR 13A.03.02.06; and\n3. is consistent with the student service–learning guidelines developed by the State Department of Education.\n(c) A caregiver or person filing a report regarding a missing person immediately shall notify the local law enforcement agency with which the report was filed and the Department of State Police if:\n(1) the missing person who was the subject of the report is located; and\n(2) it is unlikely that the local law enforcement agency or the Department of State Police has knowledge that the missing person has been located.","path":["Article - Public Safety"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gps\u0026section=3-604","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T20:00:18Z","sha256":"dc130f8c428c136e32f4d26159c150df7eb7dac2ee0433c7ed8992495b50fd18","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-public-safety-3-603","next":"us-md/md.-code-public-safety-3-605"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}