The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) will introduce the SAFE Alert program on September 26, 2025, replacing the previous Silver Alert system. The new initiative aims to broaden the criteria for issuing alerts and improve efforts to locate and recover missing vulnerable individuals in the state.
According to AZDPS, the SAFE Alert is intended to provide timely notifications when certain individuals go missing, including seniors and those with cognitive or developmental disabilities. The updated protocol requires law enforcement agencies not to delay or deny alerts if criteria are met. Additionally, these agencies must conduct training on alert procedures twice a year.
“The SAFE Alert system provides an effective, coordinated notification method using multiple communication channels to assist in the safe and expedient recovery of missing persons. The system utilizes media and public safety networks to distribute real-time information when someone goes missing under qualifying conditions.”
A SAFE Alert can be issued if law enforcement confirms that a person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances; all local resources have been exhausted; the individual is believed to be at risk due to factors such as age, health, disability, or environmental conditions; and there is enough information available that could help with their recovery.
To distribute alerts quickly and widely, AZDPS will use various tools including media outlets and public safety networks.
For further details about the program launch, a media availability session with AZDPS Alert Coordinator Kelsey Commisso is scheduled for Friday, September 26 at 11 a.m. at AZDPS Headquarters in Phoenix.
