Oklahoma City – Governor Brad Henry today officially signed legislation establishing a “Silver Alert” program to help families locate elderly loved ones who are reported missing.

House Bill 2030 by Rep. Kris Steele and Sen. Glenn Coffee directs the state Department of Public Safety to work with broadcasters and other state agencies to establish a program patterned after the highly successful Amber Alert program that helps locate missing children.

“We’ve done great things with Amber Alert and believe we can repeat that success with the Silver Alert program,” said Gov. Henry.

“It will be a great tool for families with elderly loved ones, providing them with additional peace of mind and direct assistance when they need it most. By working to quickly locate lost seniors with the help of Silver Alert, we can help prevent injuries and save lives.”

Like Amber, the Silver Alert will use television, radio and other mediums of communication to alert the public of a missing senior and seek information to help locate the person in question. The program, which was requested by the Oklahoma Silver Haired Legislature, has already been implemented in several other states.

Gov. Henry signed the bill into law Thursday afternoon in the State Capitol Blue Room accompanied by legislative authors, members of the Silver Haired Legislature and other senior citizens advocates.