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EXEMPLARY PROJECT: PROJECT LIFESAVER
Williamsburg (VA) Police Department
When a person is missing
or lost, it takes a great toll on many people: the family, law enforcement, and
the community itself. The effects can be
Currently there are over 19,000 Alzheimer’s victims living in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. This number is expected to rise as the average age of the population rises. Already, the City of Williamsburg, along with most other jurisdictions, has experienced an increase in missing/lost person cases involving persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other related mental dysfunction disorders, such as Autism or Downs Syndrome. In Williamsburg, these cases involve on- and off-duty personnel, officers from neighboring jurisdictions, and numerous volunteer organizations, plus the command search and rescue units from the Williamsburg Fire Department.
The impact of a missing Alzheimer’s patient on the Williamsburg Police Department became apparent in 1999, when, at 23:16 hours, the Williamsburg Communications Center was notified that an Alzheimer’s patient had left his care facility. He was not located for almost 11 hours. Documented time to recover the missing person for city resources was 2,113 minutes for law enforcement, fire, and emergency service personnel. This does not include the time expended by all the outside and volunteer agencies that assisted in the search, some of which traveled long distances to participate.
One alarming factor concerning cases of this nature is that 72% of the persons with these types of disabilities, who become missing or lost, repeat this behavior. In fact, two months after locating the individual in this case, he was once again reported missing from his care facility.
As part of community policing efforts, Williamsburg police officers identify individuals in the community who are disabled or at risk of becoming missing/lost. Information concerning the individuals is placed in the heads-up field on the department’s CAD system and flyers are produced to alert other officers. These efforts are helpful, but do nothing to help find these people when they are missing or lost.
In the aftermath of the above-mentioned missing person case, the Williamsburg Police Department resolved to take a more pro-active approach to assisting persons with memory-impaired disabilities and to reduce the requirements on law enforcement resources. After considering the various options available to law enforcement, Project Lifesaver was adopted.
The Chesapeake (VA) Sheriff’s Office, 43rd Virginia Volunteer Search and Rescue Company created Project Lifesaver to find persons with memory-impaired disabilities. Evolving from this design and need was a concept called, “Programmed Rescue Operation Joining Electronic Computer Technologies to Locate and Identify Frequency Emissions to Search for and Assist Victims to Enhance Recovery - PROJECT LIFESAVER. In jurisdictions that have instituted Project Lifesaver, the average recovery time is less than 30 minutes.
In simple terms, the Project Lifesaver program relies on an electronic bracelet being placed on a person with a memory-impaired disability and a radio tracking system being placed in the hands of trained personnel. Realizing the benefits of the program, in 2001, the Williamsburg Police Department applied for and received a $5,000 grant to purchase the initial equipment necessary to begin a program, which included a tracking system, two bracelets, each with a unique radio frequency, and training for up to five people.
As the Williamsburg Police Department is not in command in search and rescue situations, it took the position as the acquisition and assisting agency. When the equipment was received, personnel from the police department, the Williamsburg Fire Department, which has command, the Williamsburg Sheriff’s Department, and neighboring jurisdictions, were trained to use the tracking system. (The equipment is available to citizens in other jurisdictions, when requested.) Meetings were held with Williamsburg Social Services, the Williamsburg Alzheimer’s Organization, and other groups that deal with persons with memory-impaired disabilities, such as the Pilots Club of Williamsburg.
Interest in the program has been overwhelming. Recommendations for participants who might benefit from the program have been received from social service agencies, civic organizations, and community groups. Contracts have been created to cover the responsibilities of both the searching agencies and the caregivers for the memory-impaired person. The caregivers must agree to test the bracelet battery daily, arrange for monthly battery replacement, provide information on the patient’s condition, and, in the event of a missing participant, immediately notify authorities with the radio frequency of the bracelet being worn.
The cost of Project Lifesaver is relatively small, compared to the cost of conducting search and rescue missions for persons without the bracelet. However, the $200 cost for each bracelet, and monthly battery replacement, may put this technology out of reach for a family dealing with the cost of caring for a person with mental disabilities. The Williamsburg Police Department decided to provide the bracelets at no cost, and the department would concentrate on raising funds to purchase bracelets and batteries.
Project Lifesaver-trained officers attended meetings with civic organizations, community groups, and other avenues where interest could be generated. As word of the program spread, success in raising funds was realized. The Williamsburg Alzheimer’s Organization pledged their support and offered to be involved in the monthly battery replacement and the local Pilots Club organized a road race to generate funds to match a grant they received to donate $5,000 for the purchase of bracelets and batteries.
Since the first bracelet was placed on an Alzheimer’s patient in December 2002, 16 additional bracelets have been issued. In July of 2003, the first search and rescue mission of a Williamsburg Project Lifesaver client was performed. The missing person was located in only 10 minutes, as opposed to the nine hours it took to find him in a previous search.
The Project Lifesaver program has already revealed many positive benefits, for both the Williamsburg Police Department and the community. Contact with the caregivers by trained Project Lifesaver members has been very helpful to those who have to deal with a stressful situation everyday. Being enrolled in the program also gives caregivers additional piece of mind, if their loved one wanders from home. The community has been made aware of the program and has expressed their support of the police department’s efforts with generous contributions. Participating area jurisdictions are working closer together to assist in searches by cross-training members of their agencies and agreeing to provide trained members whenever necessary.
Project Lifesaver demonstrates that it doesn’t always take a lot of money or manpower to improve service to the public; but a simple idea that uses the same type of technology used by hunters to track lost hunting dogs, can provide major benefits for law enforcement and the community. As word of Project Lifesaver spreads, hopefully many more lives can be saved.
For more information on Project Lifesaver, you may contact Chief Gene Saunders of Project Lifesaver International at 757-546-5502, or through their website at www.projectlifesaver.org.
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Deborah A. Middlebrook,
Accreditation Manager 
