New Program In Todd County To Help Officers Find Wandering Residents

LONG PRAIRIE -- A brand new law enforcement program in Todd County will help officers find missing residents faster.

Project Lifesaver is a program specifically designed to find individuals who may have Alzheimer, or are prone to wandering.

Todd County Sheriff Don Asmus says the program started after a request from one of their residents.

"We had a request from a family living in the county, who had moved into Todd County and they were apart of this program in their previous county. So I did some research on it and wanted to establish those same benefits in our county," says Asmus.

The program uses an electronic wristband the individual wears to help officers find them should they go missing from their homes.

Asmus says the program allows those types of residents to continue to live at home while providing a sense of security to their families.

"It's another option for residents who may some sort of medical issue, to stay in their home and continue to live life," says Asmus.

In April several officers were trained how to use the specialized electronic equipment necessary for the program.

Asmus says with this program their goal is to find missing residents within an hour.

"The goal is to find them within 60 minutes, the target time is 20 minutes. When we trained in April and May we were able to locate all the individuals within the 20 minute mark," says Asmus.

The program was make possible through a grant by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

If you want an application to sign up for Project Lifesaver you can contact the Todd County Sheriff's Office at (320) 732-2157, or for more information you can visit www.projectlifesaver.org.