2023 California Code › Government Code - GOV › TITLE 2 - GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA › DIVISION 1 - GENERAL › CHAPTER 7 - California Emergency Services Act › ARTICLE 6.5 - Accessibility to Emergency Information and Services › Section 8594.11.

8594.11. (a) For purposes of this section, “Endangered Missing Advisory” means a notification system, activated pursuant to subdivision (b), designed to issue and coordinate alerts with respect to a person who is at risk, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired, or who has been abducted.
(b) (1) If a person is reported missing to a law enforcement agency and that agency determines that the requirements of subdivision (c) are met, the agency may request the Department of the California Highway Patrol to activate an Endangered Missing Advisory. If the Department of the California Highway Patrol concurs that the requirements of subdivision (c) are met, the Department of the Highway California Patrol may activate an Endangered Missing Advisory within the appropriate geographical area.
(2) Radio, television, cable, satellite, and social media systems are encouraged to, but not required to, cooperate with disseminating the information contained in an Endangered Missing Advisory.
(3) Upon activation of an Endangered Missing Advisory, the Department of the California Highway Patrol may assist the investigating law enforcement agency by disseminating an electronic flyer or activating changeable message signs in compliance with paragraph (4).
(4) Upon activation of an Endangered Missing Advisory, the Department of the California Highway Patrol may use a changeable message sign if both of the following conditions are met:
(A) A law enforcement agency determines that a vehicle may be involved in the missing person incident.
(B) Specific identifying information about the vehicle is available for public dissemination.
(c) A law enforcement agency may request an Endangered Missing Advisory be activated if that agency determines that all of the following conditions are met regarding the investigation of the missing person:
(1) The missing person is developmentally disabled, cognitively impaired, has been abducted, or is unable to otherwise care for themselves, placing their physical safety at risk.
(2) The investigating law enforcement agency has utilized all available local resources.
(3) The law enforcement agency determines that the person has gone missing under unexplainable or suspicious circumstances.
(4) The law enforcement agency believes that the person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, or environment or weather conditions, that the person is in the company of a potentially dangerous person, or that there are other factors indicating that the person may be in peril.
(5) There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.
(d) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Cognitively impaired” means affected by a cognitive impairment, as defined in Section 14522.4 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(2) “Developmentally disabled” means affected by a developmental disability, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 4512 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 93, Sec. 1. (AB 946) Effective January 1, 2024.)