TrackingNew tracking bracelet helps local police find missing loved ones

With the help of new tracking technology families in Forsyth County, Georgia will no longer have trouble keeping track of their loved ones.

Embedded in a simple bracelet is a tracking device that families can give to the elderly. In the event that they wander off and become lost, authorities can be alerted and the mobile tracking system will be launched.

On average it takes between twenty to thirty minutes to track down a missing person with “Project Lifesaver,” as it has been dubbed.

“Unfortunately, people suffering from dementia have walked away from their homes,” Sheriff Ted Paxton said to the Forsyth Herald. “Law enforcement was notified and searched diligently and done everything in their power, but we’re not able to find them.”

Currently thirty-one deputies have been trained in how to use the system which consists of a short-range transmitter (the bracelet) and a directional receiver. The bracelet emits a chirping sound to law enforcement and the receiver indicates the signal strength with it increasing as deputies get closer.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has purchased twenty-five of the wristbands at $300 a unit.

Adults and children who may wander away and get lost as a result of Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome, dementia, or other cognitive-related condition are eligible for the program. Given the limited number of wristbands, potential participants will be interviewed by the Sheriff’s office to determine their eligibility.