TOWSON, MD—The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a $149,000 grant to the Baltimore County Police Department to expand the police department’s Project Lifesaver program.

Project Lifesaver supports efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries of individuals with forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease or developmental disabilities such as autism who, due to their condition, wander from safe environments.

In July, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) awarded a $6,000 grant to the Baltimore County Police Foundation to assist with the expansion. The $6,000 grant enabled the Baltimore County Police Department to serve additional families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses. Funding was used to purchase additional personal locator / transmitter kits, as well as support enhanced public awareness and outreach efforts regarding the Project Lifesaver program.

The Baltimore County Police Department’s Project Lifesaver program, in partnership with Project Lifesaver International, allows caregivers to voluntarily register their relative with dementia or autism to wear a small wrist or ankle transmitter that emits an individualized tracking signal. In an event that the client goes missing, their caregiver is trained to immediately contact 911, where a trained emergency team can be dispatched to the clients area. Clients who wander are typically found within a few miles, and reduces search times from hours and days to minutes.

Project Lifesaver reports recovery times for clients to an average of 30 minutes. The Baltimore County Police Department joined the Project Lifesaver International Program February 26, 2018 as a pilot program. The Baltimore County Police Department enrolled 18 clients with the following qualifications:

• Baltimore County Resident
• Ages 7 and above
• Under 24 hours caregiver supervision
• Residential living
• Client must not be able to operate a vehicle
• Client must be diagnosed by a qualified medical professional as having Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism, down syndrome or other cognitively impaired medical issues that may cause a client to wander
• Client must have a history of wandering
• Caregiver must agree to monthly battery changes and logs of battery checks

This free program is offered to the citizens of Baltimore County by the Baltimore County Police Department. Interested participants can contact Officer Erika Dingle at 410-887-8599 for further information or visit the Baltimore County Police Departments website at https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/police/community/projectlifesaverprogram.html.

Citizens are requested to complete an interest card to be a client of the Baltimore County Police Department’s Project Lifesaver Program.