Lauren Harchut
Staff Writer
The La Verne Police Department is now participating in a worldwide search and rescue program, Project Lifesaver International, which provides tracking bracelets for those with Alzheimer’s, autism, dementia and other cognitive disorders.
Project Lifesaver is an international nonprofit organization. The bracelets have helped rescue 3,057 citizens in just over 16 years.
“Each client is affixed with a small traveling bracelet,” La Verne Police Department’s Sgt. Chris Fenner said.
“The bracelet transmits a signal. In the event that they were missing, we use our receivers to locate the subject by tracking signal from the bracelet.”
There have been multiple incidents with wanderers in La Verne. For example, a young teen went missing early in the afternoon and had wandered miles away from where he was last seen.
After these incidents, Sgt. Fenner wrote a proposal in the hope of adding the public-safety program to the La Verne Police Department.
“I wrote a grant to Project Lifesaver,” Sgt. Fenner said. “I was awarded the grant and received all the equipment and training at no cost.”
In his grant, he provided true stories of wanderers, including a 12-year-old autistic child without communication skills who went missing for 20 hours before he was found on a commuter train alone.
Fenner also provided his own personal experiences with wanderers in La Verne in the grant. He was involved in the search for a La Verne man with Alzheimer’s who went for a bike ride and made it all the way to Ontario before he was found.
Janet Jewell, one of LVPD’s Records Clerks, said they have already given out a bracelet since the project was implemented this past July.
“I feel it is a great idea for at- risk persons with Alzheimer’s, autism, down syndrome and dementia,” Jewell said. “Everyone that I have spoke to in the community thinks it is a great idea.”
Fenner is thankful that the La Verne Police Department has not had to use the locator bracelet yet.
Project Lifesaver has been a huge relief for caretakers of residents with a cognitive disorder.
“My father-in-law had Alzheimer’s and it’s scary, you can turn your back for a second and they’re gone,” La Verne Police Department Records Clerk Cynthia Harchut said.
“I think the program is going to be a huge benefit to our community,” Harchut said.
“If I was personally taking care of him, I would sign up in a heartbeat,” she said.
For now, there is no cost for the locator bracelet if you are a La Verne resident, but the police department does encourage donations to help with the cost of future equipment and for them to purchase more bracelets if needed.
Each bracelet costs about $300.
In order to sign up for the program, La Verne residents can call the police department and request a locator bracelet free of charge.
“The public has been very supportive.” Fenner said.
“We have even received a number of donations from the community to buy additional equipment to accommodate additional participants. Project Lifesaver is a very valuable program. It not only increases the chances of safely bring people home, it saves the department and the city and the community resources.”
Lauren Harchut can be reached at lauren.harchut@laverne.edu.
Lauren Harchut
