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Project Lifesaver Halton helps protect, prevent missing loved ones

Police-led program supports families with members who might wander or run away, such as those with Alzheimer's disease or autism
Julie Slack
Julie Slack
20240119projectlifesaver
The technology used in the Project Lifesaver program.Halton Regional Police photo

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and anyone who has a family member living with dementia knows a helping hand can make a difference.

That's where the Halton Regional Police come in with their Project Lifesaver program, which helps give families daily peace of mind as their loved one has protection and safety in case they wander. 

Like many police services, HRPS regularly responds to emergencies involving missing people suffering a cognitive disorder. Project Lifesaver Halton is a proactive life protection program that enhances the probability of the individual’s rescue and makes it possible to reduce the time of a search effort considerably  - from days and hours to sometimes in as few as 30 minutes.

The program combines radio technology with police response to help locate wandering and disorientated loved ones.

People in the program wear a small grey bracelet with a transmitter that sends out a radio tracking signal 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If caregivers notify the police that the person is missing, a specially-trained emergency response team will use mobile tracking equipment to find them.

Project Lifesaver Halton helps families to protect members who might wander or run away, typically people:

  • Living with Alzheimer’s disease
  • Who have a history of wandering
  • Living with autism
  • Who have Down syndrome
  • Living with an acquired brain injury
  • With other kinds of cognitive impairment.

The wristband is a one-ounce, battery-operated transmitter that emits an FM radio frequency-based signal. It has been proven that these transmitters are able to track through obstacles, such as concrete walls and heavy forest. When caregivers notify Halton Regional Police Service their loved one is missing, trained police officers will use Project Lifesaver equipment to search for and locate the missing person.

Project Lifesaver Halton also significantly reduces the need for extensive search-and-rescue operations that are often costly in human and financial terms.

“Through the Project Lifesaver program, the HRP are committed to bringing loved ones home,” said Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner when the program launched.

“Time’s critical, and even more critical depending on the nature of the person and what their condition is, and also the condition of the weather. So if an elderly person goes missing in July or August and it’s 100 degrees, or in the winter and it’s below zero, both of those heighten the need for us to find them as quickly as possible."

HRPS’ Victim Services Unit operates the program and will contact the caregiver to make arrangements to change the participant’s transmitter battery and strap every 60 days. The appointment usually lasts 15 minutes and takes place in the participant's home.

There’s an initial $400 charge for the transmitter, along with a $60 annual battery and strap charge, however, subsidies are available for those who qualify through Halton Region.

For more information go to Project Lifesaver.