New Jersey § 52:17b-77

§ 52:17b-77.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder causing dementia

and resulting in such conditions as anxiety, poor judgement, confusion, mood swings

and loss of intellectual functioning; b. Of the four million Americans currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, 60%

of them will become disoriented and wander off at some point during the disease; c. If a person with Alzheimer's disease wanders off and is not found within the first

24 hours, there is a nearly 50% chance the person will be at risk for serious injury

or death; d. Safe Return is a national identification, support and registration program working

in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies to safely return individuals with

Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, who become lost, to their families and

caregivers; and e. It is in the interest of protecting the health and welfare of our State residents

diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders to establish a requirement

that all State Police and local law enforcement personnel receive instruction on the

utilization of the Safe Return program to facilitate the safe recovery of those who

wander off and become lost.