Search and rescueTechnology helps find missing persons

The technology that helps law enforcement track a stolen car may now assist metro-area officers in searching for a missing person.

Metro One, a tri-county public safety helicopter service, is bringing a nationwide search-and-rescue program called Project Lifesaver to central Mississippi.

The program provides tracking bracelets to caregiver of people with certain medical conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, or traumatic brain injury, that make them more vulnerable to becoming lost.

The bracelets are waterproof plastic bands that may be worn around a wrist or ankle, and each one transmits its own radio frequency.

When law enforcement is alerted to a missing person, officers can home in on the frequency from the ground and sky to locate the person faster than in a typical manhunt.

“We haven’t had to use it yet, and obviously this is the kind of technology you hope you never have to use,” said Metro One manager and pilot Andy Robinson. “But other places where this is used, they’ve been able to cut down searches to about 20 minutes rather than hours.”

Mississippi Clarion Ledger reports that the first person to wear one of the tracking bracelets in the metro area is 9-year-old Payton Dill of Ridgeland. Payton, who has Down syndrome, is spirited and constantly moving. He also has a history of sneaking out of his house despite special door knobs and alarms his parents installed.

“He doesn’t understand the consequences,” his mother, Lesley Dill, said. “We’ve tried to explain it a hundred times, and we’ve tried disciplining him for it. He just has this tendency to wander. It’s kind of in his bones.”

Mostly, Payton wanders next door, but once he ended up on a busy thoroughfare near Northpark mall and was found by a motorist who called authorities.

Payton has worn the Project Lifesaver bracelet, which he and his family call his “watch,” for almost two months. So far, authorities haven’t had to use it, but his parents say it already is helping the family.

“Before, when I took him places, I could never relax. Like if I took him to the park, I was constantly freaking out that he would run off and be gone,” Dill said. “Most parents, when they yell for their child, their kid is going to answer. I don’t care how much I scream or yell, he won’t answer me. “(The bracelet) doesn’t take the place of our watchful eye, but it does give us peace of mind,” she said.

The Dills are able to use the program without charge for a year through a U.S. Department of Justice grant given to Metro One this summer.

Typically, the program costs caregivers $99 to enroll and a $30 monthly fee, which includes monthly visits to check the condition of the user and the tracking bracelet, Robinson said.

Payton’s mother says her family likely will continue to use the program even after the free period ends.

Clarion Ledger reports that sheriff’s departments in Hinds and Madison counties and the Madison Police Department have been trained to do Project Lifesaver searches. Metro One is looking to expand the number of trained emergency personnel, as well as the number of caregivers participating in the program.

The agency also is encouraging other law enforcement departments to apply for grants.

Robinson said the biggest benefit to law enforcement and caregivers is the shortened search time, which can be crucial as cooler temperatures approach. During a search, ground crews would be assisted by Metro One, especially if the search takes place at night or leads to rough terrain.

Unlike satellite technology, the radio signal is not easily blocked by thickets or overpasses, Robinson said.

The technology would save on manpower and resources, Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge said. “On a typical search, I would pull everybody out except one person to answer the phones,” he said. “That would be the whole shift, off-duty deputies and reserves. “With this, hopefully, all we’d need is two or three deputies.”