---
title: "Toronto Police ended its Vulnerable Persons Registry on November 3. About 3,000 users were told in September."
description: "Toronto Police Service discontinued the Vulnerable Persons Registry, a free database of information about people who are likely to need help if they go missing or face a crisis. TPS says newer tools provide faster and broader access to the same type of information. The Alzheimer Society of Toronto says the registry served about 3,000 of its clients."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/tps-vulnerable-persons-registry-discontinued-november-2026"
last_updated: "2026-11-04T15:54:53.457Z"
---

Toronto Police Service shut down its Vulnerable Persons Registry on November 3. The free database, launched in 2019, let caregivers file information about a person who might need help in a crisis, so officers responding to a call would have something to draw on before arriving.

TPS spokesperson Nadine Ramadan told CP24 that internal reviews found the registry did not work as intended. Participation was low, and the information was often not available early enough to help officers on a call.

A 2024 investigation by Ombudsman Toronto found the same problems. Ombudsman Kwame Addo said TPS did not give the public enough information to decide whether to use the registry, did not invest in awareness after the initial launch, assigned no one person to manage it, and had low internal staff awareness.

TPS says newer tools now provide what the registry was meant to offer. The RapidSOS Safety Network tool gives communications operators and the operations centre access to medical information faster. TPS also listed Apple Medical ID, Android Emergency settings and MedicAlert as options residents can use on their own.

Dave Spedding, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto, told CP24 the registry was valuable for clients. The society serves about 15,000 of the estimated 50,000 Toronto residents living with dementia. Spedding said four in 10 people experiencing memory or cognitive changes wander, and a person with dementia is 2.5 times more likely to go missing than a person without it.

He said an estimated 3,000 Alzheimer Society clients received email notice in September that the registry was closing. The society is directing those clients to its own Finding Your Way program, which lets caregivers gather information that can be shared with emergency responders.

Toronto Police say they remain committed to ensuring first responders can support vulnerable people, and that the transition to newer technology incorporates the Ombudsman's recommendations.

Existing records in the registry will be kept for up to one year before disposal.

Residents who want to register emergency information for a family member can visit alzheimer.ca for the Finding Your Way program, use Apple Medical ID or Android Emergency settings, or contact MedicAlert. Anyone who needs to report a missing or at-risk person should call 9-1-1.

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