Virginia Code 52-34.15: Activation of Virginia Missing Person with Autism Alert Program upon incident of a missing person with autism
A. Upon receipt of a notice of a missing person with autism from a law-enforcement agency, the Virginia State Police shall confirm the accuracy of the information and provide assistance in the activation of the Missing Person with Autism Alert Program as the investigation dictates.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 52-34.15
- Missing person with autism: means any person (i) whose whereabouts are unknown; (ii) who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as defined in § 38. See Virginia Code 52-34.13
- Missing Person with Autism Alert: means the notice of a missing person with autism provided to the public by the media or other methods under a Missing Person with Autism Alert Agreement. See Virginia Code 52-34.13
- Missing Person with Autism Alert Agreement: means a voluntary agreement between law-enforcement officials and members of the media whereby a person with autism will be declared missing, and the public will be notified by media outlets, and includes all other incidental conditions of the partnership as found appropriate by the Virginia State Police. See Virginia Code 52-34.13
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Program: means the procedures and Missing Person with Autism Alert Agreements to aid in the identification and location of a missing person with autism. See Virginia Code 52-34.13
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. Missing Person with Autism Alerts may be local, regional, or statewide. The initial decision to make a local Missing Person with Autism Alert shall be at the discretion of the local law-enforcement official. Prior to making a local Missing Person with Autism Alert, the local law-enforcement official shall confer with the Virginia State Police and provide information regarding the missing person with autism to the Virginia State Police. The decision to make a regional or statewide Missing Person with Autism Alert shall be at the discretion of the Virginia State Police.
C. The Missing Person with Autism Alert shall include such information as the law-enforcement agency deems appropriate that will assist in the safe recovery of the missing person with autism.
D. The Missing Person with Autism Alert shall be canceled under the terms of the Missing Person with Autism Alert Agreement. Any local law-enforcement agency that locates a missing person with autism who is the subject of an alert shall notify the Virginia State Police immediately that the missing person with autism has been located.