OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – Since the April implementation of Project Lifesaver, Oshkosh Police Sergeant Todd Wrage says they have not had any live searches.
However, the department has conducted several test runs in case an at-risk client’s electronic tracking bracelet indicates they’ve wandered away from home.
Wragge says the program is intended for “locating people who have a risk of wandering, based on a diagnosis such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Autism, or Down Syndrome.”
When a call comes in, Wrage notes officers are trained to ask where and when the person was last seen.
“What we’re really doing at that point is deploying our electronic search specialists and equipment and looking for that first signal. We get that first signal and then we hit the ground and start honing in on it.”
Wrage says there is a way to distinguish amongst enrollees.
“The client wears a radio-frequency transmitter that is specific to them, so if we dial that into our receivers, we get only that signal.”
Nationally, Wrage says the average recovery time is 30 minutes.
The sergeant notes there is an initial $300 fee for the electronic tracking bracelet, with a $25 annual maintenance cost, as officers go into each clients home once per month to change the batteries and ensure the device is working properly.
Anyone interested in signing up a loved one for the program is asked to call Wrage at 920-236-5757.
Currently, Wrage says they have four clients, three of whom are active.
