Oneida county has recently joined a number of other Northwoods law enforcement teams offering a device that will help authorities find people with cognitive disorders who wander.
The department has become a member of Project Lifesaver.
Sheriff Grady Hartman....
"....we've had a couple of situations in the last couple of years where we have had to expend a lot of resources looking for people who have wandered. We're real concerned about bringing them back safely. People with Alzheimer's, or autistic children who tend to wander away. So we're looking at some products to help combat that...."
The device is a bracelet the caregiver can purchase and place on the loved one. Hartman says if the person wanders, they have equipment that can track that bracelet.
He says the public can contact Emergency Management at the sheriff's office for more information...
"....if anyone has a candidate in mind that would be a good fit we would want them to contact Emergency Management Director Ken Kortenhof at our office...."
There is a charge for the bracelet.
A citizen's committee who work with or have family members with cognitive disorders has formed to review applications for those who wish to participate in the program. More information is available at the Sheriff's Department or Emergency Management.
