County Sheriff’s Office Encourages Families to Sign Up for Project Lifesaver

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office encourages families to sign up for Project Lifesaver, an initiative dedicated to enhancing the safety and well-being of individuals at risk of wandering and getting lost and change the way the community responds to the needs of those with cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Autism, and other related conditions. 

Project Lifesaver utilizes a transmitter tracking device worn on the individual’s wrist or ankle to aid in search efforts should that person go missing. 

The Sheriff’s Office has a receiver that can quickly pick up the tracking device’s frequency, providing for a 95% reduction time in locating the missing person compared to someone who isn’t wearing the device. On average, when a Project Lifesaver participant is reported missing, they are located within 30 minutes of the Sheriff’s Office receiver picking up their bracelet transmission. 

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has the largest number of Project Lifesaver participants served in New York State with 175 participants in the County program. Nationwide, Saratoga County (population 238,797) has the third highest participation rate of any county in the country, following only Los Angeles County (population 10 million) and Virginia Beach (population 500,000). Per Capita, Saratoga County ranks highest in the country for program participation.

In the 8.5 years the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has used the program, 50 Project Lifesaver participants have been quickly and safely located.    

The bracelet, transmitter, and battery are provided free to families. To learn more, contact Deputy Jason Lang of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office at 518-944-6288 or jlang@saratogacountyny.gov. 

The Project Lifesaver Program is a non-profit organization that began in Chesapeak Virginia in 1999. It now has more than 1,100 participating agencies across the US, Canada, and Australia.