Silver Alert in Fort Worth: Who Qualifies and How to Request One

To request a Silver Alert in Fort Worth, call the Fort Worth Police Department as soon as a qualifying loved one goes missing, bring the medical documentation of their condition, and expect a supervisor to verify eligibility before submitting the request to the Texas Department of Public Safety for statewide broadcast. The alert exists for missing people who are 65 or older with a diagnosed impaired mental condition, or any age with Alzheimer’s disease, when their disappearance poses a credible threat to their safety.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 411.386

Who Qualifies

Texas law sets two paths to eligibility. The missing person must be 65 or older with a diagnosed impaired mental condition, or any age with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 411.386 The Alzheimer’s path has no age floor, so a 58-year-old with early-onset Alzheimer’s can qualify.

Two more conditions have to be met. Police must confirm that the disappearance poses a credible threat to the person’s health and safety, and the investigation must link the disappearance to the cognitive condition rather than a voluntary decision to leave.2Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert If officers conclude the person left on their own and isn’t in danger, the alert won’t go out.

What to Have Ready Before You Call

Fort Worth officers cannot submit the request until they can verify every eligibility criterion and give the public something to act on. Gathering the following before you call keeps the clock from running out while a supervisor chases paperwork.

  • Medical documentation. A letter on the physician’s letterhead stating the person’s impaired mental condition, date of diagnosis, patient name, and the physician’s signature. Official healthcare records showing the same information also work. A family member’s verbal statement is not enough.2Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert
  • Physical description. Height, weight, eye color, hair color, distinguishing features such as scars, tattoos, or a medical alert bracelet, and the clothing the person was wearing when last seen.
  • A recent photograph. A clear, current photo matters far more than an older one, however good the older one looks.
  • Vehicle details, if the person was driving. Make, model, year, color, and license plate. Highway message signs are activated only when police can confirm accurate vehicle information and that the person was actually driving at the time they disappeared.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert Request Form MP-26

Keep these in one folder, physical or digital. Families who assemble the documentation before an emergency avoid the delays that happen when a physician’s office has to be tracked down for verification mid-crisis.

How to Request a Silver Alert in Fort Worth

Call 911 if the person may be in immediate danger. Use the non-emergency line at 817-392-4222 if the situation is urgent but not life-threatening. A responding officer or supervisor reviews the documentation you provide and checks it against the statutory criteria.

Once a Fort Worth supervisor confirms eligibility, they complete DPS Form MP-26 and send it, along with the medical documentation, to the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management at the State Operations Center.4Tarrant County College District Police Department. General Order 430.00 – Silver Alert Network The state then coordinates the public broadcast. Incomplete paperwork is the most common bottleneck.

The 72-Hour and 24-Hour Clocks

Two deadlines shape every Silver Alert. The request must be submitted within 72 hours of the person’s disappearance; after three days, the alert can no longer be activated through this system.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert Request Form MP-26

Once activated, the alert itself lasts only 24 hours. DPS contacts the requesting agency at the 12-hour, 18-hour, and 23-hour marks to ask whether an extension is needed, and the agency must request the extension before the 24-hour window closes.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert Request Form MP-26 If that deadline slips, the alert drops off highway signs and broadcast channels even if the person is still missing. Check in with the investigating officer well before the 23-hour mark so the extension actually gets requested.

Why Requests Get Denied

Officers must answer yes to every activation question on Form MP-26. A single no blocks the request.3Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert Request Form MP-26 The most frequent problems:

  • No medical documentation to verify the diagnosed condition.
  • The disappearance isn’t linked to the cognitive condition. Officers must rule out that the person left voluntarily for unrelated reasons.2Texas Department of Public Safety. Silver Alert
  • More than 72 hours have passed since the disappearance.
  • Not enough detail for the public to act on. A name without a photo, physical description, or vehicle information doesn’t give anyone enough to help.
  • Age and diagnosis don’t match the statute. A 60-year-old with a form of dementia that isn’t Alzheimer’s doesn’t qualify.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 411.386

A denied Silver Alert request does not end the search. The missing-person investigation continues, and the person may qualify for a different alert.

If a Silver Alert Doesn’t Fit: the CLEAR Alert

Adults between 18 and 64 who are missing under dangerous circumstances but don’t meet Silver Alert criteria may qualify for a CLEAR Alert instead. Texas created the Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue program in 2019 to cover adults who are missing, kidnapped, abducted, or in immediate danger of injury or death. Like the Silver Alert, highway signs are used only when confirmed vehicle information is available.

How the Alert Reaches the Public

Once DPS activates the alert, the information moves through several channels at once. The Texas Department of Transportation posts descriptions of the missing person or their vehicle on dynamic message signs along major highways, including corridors like I-35W and I-30 that run through the Fort Worth area, but only when the person is confirmed to have been driving and vehicle information is accurate.5State of Texas. Texas Government Code Title 4 Subtitle B Chapter 411 Subchapter M Section 411-382 Television and radio broadcasters also receive the alert data,6State of Texas. Texas Government Code GOV’T 411.383 and the Fort Worth Police Department shares it with neighboring agencies across Tarrant County.

One misconception worth clearing up: Silver Alerts do not trigger the Wireless Emergency Alert push notifications that AMBER Alerts send to cell phones. To receive Silver Alerts on your phone or by email, sign up for the free DPS subscription service, which sends alert flyers whenever a Silver Alert is issued.7Texas Department of Public Safety. Receive Alerts You can subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your preferences through the DPS portal.8Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Alerts Subscriptions Following Fort Worth Police Department social media is another way to see local alerts and the follow-up when a person is found.

If You Spot Someone Matching an Alert

Call 911 right away. Do not approach or try to detain the person. Someone with advanced dementia may become frightened or disoriented by a stranger’s intervention, and the situation can escalate. Give the dispatcher the exact location, direction of travel, clothing, and whether the person appears to be in a vehicle. Stay at a safe distance and keep them in sight until officers arrive, if you can do so without drawing attention.