A Golden Alert is a public notification that law enforcement issues to help locate a missing vulnerable adult — someone whose disappearance puts them in danger because of a cognitive condition, a disability, or a mental health crisis. The term is used mainly in Delaware (as “Gold Alert”) and Kentucky. Most other states run the same kind of program under a different name, usually Silver Alert or Endangered Missing Person Advisory. If you’ve just received one of these alerts on your phone or seen it on a highway sign, it means officers believe a person is missing and at real risk of harm, and they’re asking the public to watch for them.1Congressional Research Service. Alert Systems for Missing Adults in Eleven States: Background and Issues for Congress
Who a Golden Alert Covers
Eligibility rules vary by state, but Golden Alert programs share a common thread: the missing person has to be vulnerable in a way that makes the disappearance dangerous. Qualifying conditions typically include:
- Cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
- Developmental or intellectual disabilities that limit a person’s ability to navigate safely.
- Traumatic brain injury affecting awareness or orientation.
- Suicidal risk. Delaware’s Gold Alert, for example, covers people whose statements or behavior suggest they may harm themselves.
Delaware’s program is broader than most. In addition to the categories above, it covers missing senior citizens, people with disabilities, and missing children who don’t qualify for an AMBER Alert.
Being vulnerable isn’t enough on its own. Law enforcement also has to determine that the disappearance poses a credible threat to the person’s health or safety. An alert isn’t issued because someone hasn’t checked in for a few hours. There has to be a real reason to believe the person is in danger — a medical condition that requires regular medication, dangerous weather, or circumstances suggesting the person is disoriented and can’t find their way home.1Congressional Research Service. Alert Systems for Missing Adults in Eleven States: Background and Issues for Congress
Most programs don’t require formal medical documentation when the report is first made. Family members, legal guardians, or caregivers describe the person’s condition, and officers combine that with their own assessment to decide whether to activate the alert.
How Golden Alerts Compare to AMBER and Silver Alerts
Golden Alerts sit alongside two more familiar systems, and the differences come down to who each one covers.
- AMBER Alert. For abducted children where law enforcement believes the child is in imminent danger.
- Silver Alert. Usually covers missing seniors with cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia. Age thresholds range from 50 to 65 depending on the state.
- Gold or Golden Alert. Broader than Silver Alerts in the states that use the term, extending to younger adults with disabilities, people in suicidal crisis, and in some cases children who don’t meet AMBER criteria.
The patchwork of names and rules grew because each state wrote its own legislation. Every state now has at least one system for broadcasting information about missing adults who may be in danger, even where the word “Golden” isn’t the label used.1Congressional Research Service. Alert Systems for Missing Adults in Eleven States: Background and Issues for Congress
How a Golden Alert Reaches You
Once law enforcement activates an alert, it spreads through several channels at the same time so it can reach as many people as possible:
- Emergency Alert System (EAS). Broadcasts interrupt television and radio with details about the missing person. Local broadcasters relay these alerts voluntarily in most cases.2Federal Communications Commission. Emergency Alert System
- Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Short messages pushed to cell phones in a targeted area. These are the ones that make your phone buzz with a distinctive tone even if you never opted in.
- Highway message signs. Electronic signs on interstates and major roads display concise details, usually a vehicle description and license plate number.
- Social media and news outlets. Police agencies post alert details on their accounts, and local news picks the information up.
The New MEP Alert Code
Something changed in September 2025 that directly affects how Golden Alerts reach your phone. The FCC introduced a new “Missing and Endangered Persons” (MEP) event code for the EAS and WEA systems. Before the MEP code, the only missing-person alert that could be pushed through the national emergency alert infrastructure was an AMBER Alert. That left a gap: in 2023 alone, more than 188,000 people went missing who didn’t meet AMBER criteria.3Federal Communications Commission. Missing Endangered Persons Emergency Alert System Code
State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies can now select “MEP” when issuing alerts through IPAWS, the federal alert management system, and those alerts get delivered over television, radio, and directly to cell phones.4FEMA. IPAWS: Missing and Endangered Persons Event Code Now Live For Golden Alerts and Silver Alerts, that means the alert can now reach you the same way an AMBER Alert does.
What to Do When You See a Golden Alert
Take a few seconds to actually read it. Most people glance at alerts and dismiss them. The details that matter most are the person’s physical description, what they were wearing, and any vehicle information. Someone with dementia or another cognitive condition may look confused, be walking without clear purpose, or be dressed wrong for the weather.
If you think you see the person or the vehicle, call 911 or the number in the alert right away. Partial information still helps. The direction someone was walking or the street where you spotted a car gives officers something to work with.
Don’t approach the person or try to stop them yourself. Someone with a cognitive impairment may become frightened or agitated when a stranger confronts them. A person in a suicidal crisis could be pushed to act. If you can, keep them in sight from a distance and let law enforcement handle the approach.
Misusing the System
Knowingly filing a false missing person report to trigger a Golden Alert or any similar alert is a crime in every state. The exact charge varies, but it generally falls under false reporting. Penalties run from misdemeanor charges carrying up to a year in jail and fines to felony charges for repeat offenders or reports involving serious circumstances. False alerts also erode public trust in the system and pull law enforcement away from genuine emergencies.