3/3/2010 - Project Lifesaver helps find lost, wandering individuals

The Redlands Police department has begun implementation of a new project to quickly locate special needs residents who wander away or become lost.

Redlands Police recently partnered with Project Lifesaver International in a local program for at risk persons who wander due to Alzheimer’s, autism, and other related conditions or disorders.

Residents enrolled in Project Lifesaver will wear a small LoJack personal transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal 24 hours a day. Once the police are called that a person is missing, trained officers identify that signal from a specialized directional antenna and are able to track the wandering person. This equipment is used on foot, in cars and also by air providing maximum cover and capability for search efforts for several miles using the tracking equipment.

Currently, when police receive a report of a “critically missing person,” all available resources, including patrol teams, specialized units, detectives, Sheriff’s helicopter and volunteers, are dedicated to the search, often for hours until the individual is located.

The use of Project Lifesaver can significantly reduce the manpower required for a search. More importantly, the program is designed to cut down the vital time it takes to locate missing persons with critical medical or other needs.

Nationwide, Project Lifesaver has responded to more than 1,100 rescues. All were successful with a recovery time of less than 30 minutes.

Project Lifesaver International is a nonprofit organization, started by law enforcement officers in 1999, to provide training, certification and services for law enforcement and rescue teams across the country.

For information on the Redlands Police Department’s Project Lifesaver program, contact Cpl. Natasha Crawford or Cpl. Stan McCauley at (909) 798-7534.