Action 3 News - Omaha, Nebraska News, Weather, and Sports | Project Lifesaver
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Sarpy County, NE - A bracelet and a radio. Put the two together and you have Project Lifesaver. It's a program that could save someone you love, a program designed to locate people with Alzheimer's or autistic children.
Lt. Kevin Griger: "This equipment really does do what it says it does. It works the way it says and we can find people who go missing or who wander away from their caregivers or loved ones."
Here's how Project Lifesaver works. Inside the bracelet is a tracking device. If the person wearing the bracelet goes missing, police can find them through radio waves. Shawn Neff describes the program as a relief.
Shawn Neff: "I know many families who have experienced the nightmare of a loved one gone missing. Just saying "missing" sounds like a soundbite from "Without a Trace," but the reality is this happens everyday."
Neff is President of the Autism Society of Nebraska. She's also the mother of two boys. Her oldest is 7-year-old JP. JP is autistic.
Shawn Neff: "All it takes is two seconds to vanish. Now I want to ask you to imagine your child disappearing from your sight. Now imagine if your child couldn't speak, couldn't ask a stranger for help, couldn't talk to the stranger let alone to know to ask for help."
Families interested in Project Lifesaver sign up through the Sarpy County Sheriff's Department. The cost is $300 plus $10 a month for new batteries. For those who need the program but can't afford it, the sheriff's department is willing to absord the cost.
Reported by Kerri Stowell, kstowell@action3news.com.
