Arizona HB 2894 could make the Silver Alert more immediate for missing people
PHOENIX - A bill is making its way through the Arizona legislature that some parents say could save lives.
What we know:
If passed, HB 2894 would expand the criteria for a Silver Alert to help more people with disabilities.
As the saying goes, the first couple of days after someone goes missing are the most crucial.
Two mothers say it's taken that long just to get a Silver Alert issued for their child, and they're hoping new legislation will make the search more immediate and more thorough.
"It's like our children are disposable, and she's not disposable," Heather Marlowe said.
Her 19-year-old daughter went missing from the group home where she stays, and although she is technically of adult age, she does have special needs that affect her thought process.
"Cognitively, she's about seven years old, and she gets really upset and just runs, like fight or flight," Marlowe explained.
Marlowe says when her daughter went missing on Feb. 21, she ran into a roadblock when calling the police and asked for a Silver Alert to be issued for her daughter. They said they wouldn't issue a Silver Alert until someone came out to the group home to take a report.
"She's at a greater risk because she's very vulnerable, and she will take things from strangers. So, if you're like, ‘Hey little girl, do you want some cookies?’ She's going to go get the cookies,'" Marlowe said.
Luckily, her daughter was found later that day, but that is not how all missing persons cases go.
What they're saying:
It's something Alisa Zoccoli knows all too well.
"Our son James has been gone for eight months," Zoccoli said. "He was 16 years old, and he had been known by multiple providers that his cognitive age was about eight."
Zoccoli was in a group home and just weeks removed from a treatment program when he went missing last June.
Like Heather, Zoccoli hit roadblocks in getting a Silver Alert issued, and it was two days before the family was able to gather the documentation needed.
It was too late. Her son died from an overdose.
"He's not an acceptable loss. That's my child," Zoccoli said.
Big picture view:
These cases are the heart behind HB 2894, which would expand current law regarding Silver Alerts.
"Having two children myself with autism, I know that elopement is really big, so it would be like saying to someone who has Alzheimer's or who has dementia, 'I'm sorry they've walked away from their home, and therefore they're not qualifying for that Silver Alert,'" said Anika Robinson of the Arizona Missing Children's Taskforce.
The bill puts an emphasis on immediate action and helps to take away some of the stigma surrounding habitual runaways.
Rep. Khyl Powell authored the bill.
"We need a bill like this to take care of those who can't help themselves and to give comfort and assurance to parents. If you've lost a child, it is a devastating feeling. We need all the resources in the community to help," Rep. Powell said.
It's a devastating feeling Zoccoli hopes will not be felt by any more parents, and advocates say will keep happening without community awareness and action.
"The community needs to know that these kids matter and turning away from this and thinking it doesn't matter, to me, is unacceptable," Zoccoli said.
'Everybody doesn't just jump up and start looking'
Arizona Missing Children's Task Force: What they're fighting for
We're hearing from Rhonda Dequier and Leila Woodard of the Arizona Missing Children's Taskforce about their fight to bring legislation forward that will help kids have better protections when they go missing.
"You never think it's going to happen to you, and you don't realize that when that does happen that everybody doesn't just jump up and start looking, that it's actually a process and no family is prepared for it," Rhonda Dequier said.
The bill goes to the house floor on Feb. 27.
Some lawmakers argued the public could be confused while already receiving Amber Alerts. Supporters of the bill say this gives more resources for missing persons, and not just children.
Dig deeper:
In 2018, legislation was passed to include missing people of all ages with a developmental disability, which HB 2894 expands upon further to remove any ambiguity and add immediacy to the notification system. Advocates are also hopeful that law enforcement will be thoroughly trained on the differences between the alert systems.
The difference between a Silver Alert and an Amber Alert is that an Amber Alert is a federal alert system and is only for kidnapped children under 18, rather than a runaway.
Under ARS 36-551, developmental disabilities are defined as conditions that: are attributable to cognitive disabilities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Down syndrome or autism, manifest before the age of 18, are likely to continue indefinitely, and result in substantial functional limitations in three out of seven major life activities, such as self-care, learning, mobility, self direction, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, receptive and expressive language.