POLICE FIRST IN STATE TO JOIN PROJECT LIFESAVERS INTERNATIONAL
Caring for a loved one who suffers from a debilitating disease is an extremely stressful situation. If that disease is one that makes the individual disoriented and prone to wander, such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Autism or Downs Syndrome, that elevates it from a stressful to a potentially dangerous situation. In far too many instances disoriented individuals are unable to find their way home. Since conventional search and rescue methods often take long periods of time and consume much effort and expense, there is real danger that tragedy can strike the missing person. Finding the missing person in the shortest amount of time possible, therefore, is vital to ensure a safe ending to the situation. The Stamford Police Department recognizes the need for this service in our community, and has become the first law enforcement agency in the State to enroll in the most successful program dedicated to this cause, Project Lifesavers.
Project Lifesavers International is an organization whose primary mission is to locate and rescue missing persons by forming partnerships with local law enforcement to deploy specially trained teams equipped with the most reliable proven technology to locate missing persons quickly. How it works is relatively simple. Clients who are enrolled in the program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal. When a caregiver notifies a Project Lifesavers Agency like the Stamford Police Department that a person is missing, a specially trained search and rescue team from the Police Department responds to the search area with a mobile locater tracking system. Search times have often been reduced from hours and days to minutes. Project Lifesavers Agencies have conducted over 1,500 searches nationwide and have averaged recovery time in less than 30 minutes with no serious injuries or deaths reported.
Our team has received training in not only search and rescue and in the use of the electronic tracking equipment, but also in the behaviors and best methods to use in dealing with those groups most likely to wander. Locating the individual is only part of the mission. That individual will be disoriented, anxious and untrusting. Learning the techniques on how to approach that person and gain their trust is vital in order to ensure a safe and successful mission.
In order to have a successful program, it is vital that the community participate by forming a partnership with law enforcement. Institutions such as hospitals, nursing care facilities, assisted living centers, businesses, fraternity organizations, and specialty organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Foundation, are natural partners to assist in this program. Costs to both the agency and the enrolled client are relatively low, but financial assistance and fundraising activities will be necessary to provide widespread access. As the first agency in the State, our Department will serve as the State Coordinator. Our certified trained instructors will provide training to other agencies in the State who enroll in the Program. As this effort becomes more widespread, regional efforts will bear greater results, thus increasing the probability that our loved ones will be brought home safely. It is precisely for this reason that the Stamford Police Department enrolled in Project Lifesavers.