Project Lifesaver- Successful return in Clarkstown

FROM CPD

On Tuesday June 3, 2014 at 7 p.m. ,The Clarkstown Police Department responded to a report of a missing 74 year old Alzheimer’s patient who had wandered away from her home in Nanuet.

Three specially trained officers/members of the Clarkstown Police Department’s Project Lifesaver team responded to the area. The 74-year-old woman was safely located a few houses away in a wooded area behind a residential house in less than 6 minutes. Luckily, the resident had just been fitted for the tracking device just last week.

Project Lifesaver is a public safety program implemented by the Clarkstown Police Department last year. It is designed to use technology in assisting those who care for individuals with cognitive disabilities such as Alzheimer’s disease, Autism and Downs Syndrome who become missing due to wandering.

The Project Lifesaver program places personalized radio transmitters on identified persons who have a tendency to wander away for the safety of their homes, schools and day programs. Each transmitter emits a unique radio frequency tracking signal that assists local emergency agencies in locating the missing person.

When a participant of the program is reported missing, the Clarkstown Police Department dispatches a specially trained Project Lifesaver search and rescue team to respond with a mobile locator tracking system. This reduces search time, which can make a difference between a safe return and serious injury.