Maryland lawmakers have just passed a new piece of legislation creating a “Purple Alert,” adding to the well-known Amber and Silver Alerts.
The idea for this alert stems from a troubling incident in October 2023 at the Glenmont Metro Station, when a young man with Down syndrome went missing for six days. He was eventually found in a locked room at the station, with no food or water.
This bill establishes a system for large-scale alerts when adults with intellectual disabilities go missing. Rashawn Williams, a 31-year-old nonverbal man, went missing in Montgomery County, leaving his family terrified. They were frustrated to learn that there was no way to notify the public across the region to help find their son.
Currently, Amber Alerts are issued for missing children under 18, and Silver Alerts for elderly individuals, often with cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s or dementia. Unfortunately, Williams didn’t qualify for either.
“It’s all about the next family now. That they don’t have to endure what we endured. To go through almost an entire week of not knowing if your loved one is dead or alive. With all the technology that we have now, my question is why did that have to happen,” said Rashawn’s father, Jimmy Hall.
The Purple Alert will apply in cases involving adults between 18 and 60 who have a mental disorder, intellectual or developmental disabilities, brain injuries, or emotional disabilities related to substance abuse. It will also cover individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have visual impairments.
“Because it will happen again, it will happen again where a loved one will go missing that has special needs and they don’t have to worry about certain entities failing them like they failed Rashawn. Because the purple alert will be in place and if you think about it, everyone is on their cell phone now. So the loved one won’t go unnoticed like Rashawn did,” added Hall.
Currently, Florida is the only other state with a Purple Alert system, while Mississippi is also working on legislation. If Maryland Governor Wes Moore signs the bill, the Purple Alert system in Maryland will take effect in October, exactly one year after Williams went missing.
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