GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Police Department is using potentially life-saving technology to help wandering residents with cognitive impairments get back home.
On Tuesday, behavioral health officers in Green Bay were trained on how to use equipment for the Project Lifesaver initiative. Project Lifesaver is a nationwide organization that provides local police and public safety agencies with tracking devices to help find people who are lost and have a confirmed cognitive or life-threatening disorder that makes it difficult for them to find their way back. Project Lifesaver saves people of all ages and with cognitive disorders such as autism or dementia.
How does Project Lifesaver work?
As part of the rescue program, at-risk individuals wear a bracelet with a small transmitter that emits a specific frequency on their wrist or ankle 24 hours a day. The frequency signal is unique to each person. If they go missing, caregivers can call 911 and police can use the frequency to find them. Caregivers can call Green Bay police if they notice something is wrong with the transmitter. Police are notified when it's time to replace the batteries.
Because this is a statewide program, behavioral health officers can also help locate people participating in the program if they end up in another city that is also participating in the program.
“The program is designed to speed up the search for them and make their recovery much faster,” says Sara McCormick, a deputy with the Wood County Sheriff's Department who trained Green Bay police in the program.
Green Bay police received a grant to help pay for the equipment and wristbands. Six wristbands will be available initially, but police are exploring fundraising or donation options to pay for more wristbands, said Gerald Gorin, a behavioral health officer for Green Bay police. Each wristband costs $350 for the first year.
The average search time is 30 minutes, McCormick said.
Where else is Project Lifesaver used?
In Wisconsin, at least 31 agencies are part of Project Lifesaver, including the Grand Chute Fire Department and the Oshkosh Police Department in northeastern Wisconsin.
What has been Wood County’s experience?
Wood County decided to participate in the program after a five-day search for a resident ended with the discovery of his body in 2007. Since Wood County joined Project Lifesaver 17 years ago, 71 at-risk residents have joined the program and another 125 people have participated intermittently, McCormick said.
People with cognitive impairment get lost in Green Bay every year, Gorin said, and he hopes they can avoid that.
“We've had a few near misses in the last few years where the person had to be hospitalized after being located because they were missing for so long,” he said. “Even a case where we were able to avoid hospitalization is a win for us.”
Contact Benita Mathew at [email protected].
