(WJAR) — A new alert system in Rhode Island, designed to notify the public when adults with disabilities go missing, went live earlier this year.
This week marks one year after the case that inspired the new system; a 45-year-old autistic woman who disappeared in Cranston and was found days later curled up in the back of a car.
Once a person is confirmed missing, local police work with state police to issue a Purple Alert, which appears on highway message boards, TV and radio broadcasts, and through news and social media.
Cranston Police Major Todd Patalano, who helped develop the legislation, said the goal is to ensure the public is aware of a missing person.
Cranston Police Major Todd Patalano, who helped develop the legislation, said the goal is to ensure the public is aware of a missing person. (WJAR)
“We can put out a broadcast, and this person has a very high likelihood of being found expeditiously,” he said. “When you see a Purple Alert, an Amber Alert, a Silver Alert, we want people to pay attention and start looking.”
The system was used for the first time last Monday in Smithfield, after a 16-year-old boy was reported missing.
Police worked with Rhode Island Emergency Management and state police to issue an alert.
A Rhode Island Energy employee spotted the boy on Douglas Pike and flagged down officers searching nearby.
Police said it’s unclear whether the Purple Alert directly led to the tip, but public awareness played a key role.
Advocates say not all parts of the alert system may have been fully utilized in that case, raising questions about implementation. But officials say that’s expected with any new system.
“It does not appear that all components of the PURPLE alert notification system were fully utilized in this situation, particularly the broad public notification aspect,” the Ocean State Center For Independent Living said in a statement to NBC 10. It added it “raises important questions about implementation.”
“As with any case, there’s always going to be kinks,” Patalano said, adding he’s “confident” alerts will be issued quickly when needed.
