OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A new program to quickly locate children and adults with cognitive disabilities has seen almost immediate success at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
The device, called Project Lifesaver, uses tracking technology in a wrist or ankle band to cut down the search time for a missing person from days or hours to just minutes.
Project Lifesaver is being funded by a federal grant and is being implemented by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to help handle its multiple missing person cases a month.
Radiofrequency, instead of Wi-Fi, helps avoid dead zones.
The bands led to two rescues of people with dementia within 30 minutes in Kissimmee, according to the sheriff’s office.
It also comes with nationwide assistance.
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Osceola County residents can qualify for a free band. That person must need 24/7 supervision, have a diagnosed cognitive impairment, show signs or tendency to wander and doesn’t drive.
The bands are completely maintained by the Sheriff’s Office which includes checkups every 60 days.
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Similar technology is also available through the Orange County and Sumter County sheriff’s offices.
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