At a press conference recently, Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco unveiled a life-saving program, Project Lifesaver, which is a tracking system that is being made available to Suffolk County residents who care for children or adults that have the propensity to wander from their homes or care facilities and may get lost.

This system is designed to assist law enforcement and rescue agencies with locating lost or missing persons who are diagnosed with Autism, Alzheimer's, dementia, or other cognitive disabilities that may prohibit them from realizing they are lost or communicating personal information, such as who they are and where they live.

Also present at the event were representatives from Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc., Developmental Disabilities Institute, Day Haven and the Pilot Clubs of Patchogue and Sayville.

Project Lifesaver relies on technology and specially trained Deputy Sheriffs from the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. Registered Project Lifesaver clients wear a personalized one ounce battery operated transmitter bracelet that emits an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day.

Each transmitter has a range of several miles and has its own frequency enabling the Deputy Sheriff search team to positively locate and identify the person who has wandered away from their home or care facility. The Sheriff's Office has purchased 6 tracking units with money seized from drug dealers. "Most search and rescue operations take an immense amount of time and resources even in a typical situation where the missing person wants to be found. However,

the majority of Project Lifesaver clients do not realize they are lost making these cases even tougher," said Sheriff DeMarco. "This program is an invaluable tool for bringing loved ones home quickly and safely."

There is a cost savings as well. The national average manpower cost for a search and rescue operation is in excess of $13,000, while the average manpower cost for a Project Lifesaver search is only $200.

To enroll in Project Lifesaver an enrollment application must be completed and submitted to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. This may be done by downloading an application and returning it by mail to the Sheriff's Office. Once your application is reviewed, an appointment will be made by a Project Lifesaver specialist from the Sheriff's Office for a home visit. Call 631-852-3405 or visit www.SuffolkSheriff. com for more information.

Shown, left to right, are Dolores Savitsky, Pilot Club of Sayville; Chris Santiago, Developmental Disabilities Institute; representatives from the Pilot Club and Barry Donowitz, Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc.