Project Lifesaver brings peace of mind to families affected by autism

Posted By: Bayley Bischof Channel 8 Eyewitness News 

A missing child is a parent’s worst nightmare.

But when that child has autism and is non-verbal, Cathy Martinez said the concern rises to a whole new level.

"When my son had wandered in the past, we couldn’t find him for 15 or 20 minutes and all these terrifying thoughts were running through my head," Martinez said. 

A new program local law enforcement are taking on, could ease her concerns. 

It’s called Project Lifesaver. It provides tracking devices for those who have the tendency to wander, and training to law enforcement on how to use them. 

The trackers work through radio frequencies. The Lincoln Police Department and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office now have equipment that can bring them within inches of the tracking devices. 

This can help them find missing person wearing the devices in an average time of 30 minutes, Vicki Depenbusch, with the Autism Family Network said.

"About half of all people with autism wander, and many have a tendency to wander toward water," Depenbusch said. 

Which is why time is everything when it comes to looking for a missing person, Sergeant Tyler Cooper with the Lincoln Police Department said. 

"Their safety is paramount," Sergeant Cooper said. so we want to get them back to safety as soon as possible but to do that to find them quickly it puts huge strain on man power."

Earlier this year, Lincoln Police responded to a call of a missing autistic child and their sibling that wandered away from home, Sgt. Cooper said. 

"We found them four hours later safe with a parent, but we had to call out officers from all across the city and do a grid search, going door to door in the neighborhood," he said. 

If one of the children had been wearing a Project Lifesaver tracker, Sgt. Cooper said the search would have been faster and not taken as many police resources. 

This could also make the lives of parents who have autistic children easier, Depenbusch said. 

"This could change parents lives," Depenbusch said. "We have parents that have to sleep in shifts because a lot of these kids have sleep issues and that’s the perfect time to get up and try and get out."

Martinez, is one of those parents who will be sleeping easier once her son is part of Project Lifesaver.

"Project Lifesaver has a 100% find rate. There’s no fatalities with anybody who’s had this bracelet," Martinez said. 

You can apply to be a part of the program through the Autism Family Network. Depenbusch said the trackers cost $300, but thanks to a grant, they’ll be able to give away several for free. 

Go to the Autism Family Network website for more: http://autismfamilynetwork.org/