Orange County, Indiana, deputies to use 'life-saving program' to help find missing people

PAOLI, Ind. (WDRB) -- With only 11 sheriff's deputies in Orange County, Indiana, there's plenty of ground to cover if someone wanders off in the rural community.

But deputies will soon have a new tool: Project Lifesaver.

The receiver and transmitter combination is used specifically help law enforcement quickly locate someone with cognitive disabilities who may be prone to wandering away.

Family members or caregivers can request a bracelet, or transmitter, for that individual. That person wears the wrist or ankle bracelet, and, if reported missing, Orange County deputies will be able to ping the location within a 1-mile radius to focus the search area.

Project Lifesaver is used by many agencies nationwide, including Clark and Washington counties in Indiana and Shelby and Franklin counties in Kentucky.

"Before having this program, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack," Orange County Chief Deputy Ben Bosley said.

In a news release Friday, Orange County Sheriff Dave Henderson described Project Lifesaver as "a rapid response program that aids victims and families who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism, and other cognitive disabilities."

"A lot of Alzheimer's patients have wandered away, and we've successfully located them," Bosley said. "However, it's taken numerous hours and as many officers and firemen, search and rescue members as we could gather."

The sheriff's department said these situations happen more often than many people realize, and there's hope that Project Lifesaver will save time and, ultimately, lives.

"This process itself can establish a timeframe where they can find someone in minutes as opposed to hours on the clock," said Brian Nugent, a national instructor for Project Lifesaver. "And when someone's missing, that, obviously, is a clock we've got to compete against to make sure we bring them back to safe locations and bring them back to their families."

There's no GPS tracking involved. Instead, the transmitter emits a live signal. If the sheriff's department gets a call about someone missing who has one of the transmitters, trained deputies can take a receiver to help find them.

"Literally we're talking minutes that this technology can locate people," Bosley said.

Anyone hoping to enroll someone in the program should contact the sheriff’s office at 812-723-2417. There's not an exact date set for when the program will roll out in Orange County, but the sheriff’s office said it will keep the community updated through its social media pages.

Sheriff David Henderson said the program will not cost families anything. He said it was paid for through a grant. As of now, Orange County has three receivers but he's hopeful the program will grow quickly.

Henderson reiterated that Project Lifesaver is specifically for those with cognitive disabilities who are prone to wandering away.

To find out which departments nationwide use Project Lifesaver, click here.