“An alert catches people’s attention and prompts action.”

By ROSEGALIE CINEUS

Beacon Media Staff Writer

This story was originally published in the Warwick Beacon, a publication partner of Ocean State Stories.

Read this story in its original form and all other Beacon stories by clicking here.

PROVIDENCE — A bill signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee establishes an alert system to notify the public about missing persons with disabilities. 

The “PURPLE Alert” law establishes a system like Silver and Amber Alerts, but in this case to help locate a missing adult with a physical or neurological disability. 

In March, a woman with developmental disabilities went missing for several days. It sparked a statewide search that included the Cranston police, FBI, Rhode Island State Police and other area departments. 

She was later found in the back of a parked vehicle. 

“Our recent experience in Cranston showed clearly that we need an alert program that is tailored to the specific needs of adults with more serious disabilities in our community who rely on caregivers in their daily lives,” said state Sen. Todd Patalano, a major in the Cranston Police Department and one of the bill’s sponsors. 

Ellen Grizzetti is the president and CEO of Hope Alzheimer’s Center in Cranston. She said it’s a great move to establish the PURPLE Alert system but also notes that Cranston has been ahead of the game for some time on that front. 

At the center, Grizzetti said they have an Alzheimer’s Alert system in place. For more than 15 years, the center has incorporated this alert system with every new participant in its program. 

Grizzetti said with each application, they include a photo and identifying information such as the areas the individual is known to frequent. And this system connects to the police department of the person’s community. 

“I think it’s great, because it’s going to help other people that may not be involved in that process,” Grizzetti said about the PURPLE Alert law. “But Cranston is kind of ahead of the game on that one.” 

The law specifically states that the alert system will be triggered if the disappearance poses a credible threat to the immediate safety and health of the missing person. 

This would be confirmed through law-enforcement review of appropriate documents from the missing person’s family, legal guardian or long-term care facility. 

Allyson DuPont is the senior program manager at the Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL), a Warwick-based nonprofit that helps support Rhode Islanders with disabilities. 

She said the center was involved in developing the bill. A key piece was ensuring the bill respected the autonomy of people with disabilities who can go out and make their own choices, she said. 

DuPont said OSCIL is happy with the outcome of the legislation and that it closed a significant gap in established safety systems. 

AMBER Alerts focus on missing children and Silver Alerts focus on seniors with a memory diagnosis such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to DuPont, there wasn’t anything in place to address the “unique dangers posed when an individual with a developmental disability goes missing.” 

“This is very important to making sure that people can respond quickly when someone is missing and that the community understands the specific needs and limitations of the individual and can be looking,” DuPont said. 

Joanne Quinn is the executive director of the Autism Project, a Johnston-based nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of people with autism. 

She also believes it is critical to pair the alert system with training of public safety personnel so they can know how to better engage with members of the disability community. 

According to a press release, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency is required to annually review the policies and procedures of the PURPLE Alert system and provide annual trainings to all participating agencies. The training will be mandatory for all personnel involved in running PURPLE Alert operations. 

“An alert catches people’s attention and prompts action. It gives urgency to a situation, and when the community reacts quicker and takes the missing person alert seriously more people will be found sooner,” Quinn stated in the press release.