Westmoreland launches program to assist searches for missing at-risk residents

First responders in Westmoreland County know all too well the dangers that exist for those with dementia, autism, Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders who wander away from home.

In the last year, nearly three dozen searches throughout the county were undertaken in response to missing person reports filed by caregivers, public safety officials said.

On Wednesday, officials announced the launch of a national program — Project Lifesaver — which will help track and monitor missing residents with cognitive deficiencies.

“We know that if we cannot find these people within 24 hours, the chances of them being injured or worse increases,” said Cassandra Kovatch, community outreach coordinator for Westmoreland County’s Department of Public Safety.

Project Lifesaver is designed to speed up searches for those who may be unable to communicate or cannot safely find their way home, officials said.

The program’s first six participants were outfitted with wristbands that contain small radio transmitters powered by a 60-day battery supply.

Receivers have been distributed to police in Allegheny Township, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Murrysville, New Kensington, North Huntingdon, Penn Township and Rostraver.

Other receiving them are the state police, the county’s public safety department, district attorney’s office and sheriff’s department and the Greensburg fire department bloodhound team.

Each transmitter is assigned its own frequency that sends out a signal over a 1-mile radius. When 911 receives reports of a missing person assigned a transmitter, response teams are deployed to search for that signal.

Police and sheriff deputies will change a participant’s transmitter batteries every two months.

“If we can save one life and get people safely to resources quicker, that’s what it’s all about,” said North Huntingdon police Chief Robert Rizzo.

Late last year, the county received a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to purchase the equipment. Kovatch said it took three attempts to secure the funding. The application was finally approved last fall when the county was awarded nearly $30,000 more than it originally requested.

The money will pay for transmitters, monitors, batteries and other equipment over the next three years.

Kovatch said 34 receivers and about 100 transmitters were initially purchased.

Enrollment applications opened this week and are available to county residents. Applications can be found on the county’s website.

Rob Hamilton, director of the county’s Human Services Department, said as many as 7,000 county residents are diagnosed with cognitive disorders and could potentially qualify for Project Lifesaver.

“This is super beneficial, especially for individuals who are noncommunicative. This will also allow us to assist those we have been able to help and those we might not have been able to help in the past. Our goal is to help people get the resources they need,” Hamilton said.