Sheriff’s Office Recognizes National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month Through Project Lifesaver

Monmouth County: Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden is acknowledging National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month during November and throughout the year by its dedication to locating individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, through the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver Program. The program uses radio signals to track people with Alzheimer’s disease and autism when they wander and become missing.

“Project Lifesaver is a lifesaving tool for families who have loved ones with a condition or illness that causes them to wander,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “It can benefit them greatly by the safety and security provided through participation in the Project Lifesaver program.”

In 2021, 26 individuals were located through the Project Lifesaver Program. The partnership between the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and the Monmouth County Office on Aging began in 2003, and was then expanded in 2007 to include individuals with autism, with the Monmouth County Department of Human Services.

There are currently 180 individuals on the Project Lifesaver program, 46 adults and 134 juveniles in Monmouth County. Nationwide there are 3,972 people on the program that is in all 50 states. Monmouth County’s Project Lifesaver Program is the largest in the state and fifth in the nation.  It is a critical tool when locating a missing individual. Each radio transmitter worn by an individual has a unique frequency. Should the client become missing, the sheriff’s office has ten receivers with which to track the missing individual. The range for the radio receiver is one mile on the ground, one quarter mile when roof mounted and five to seven miles in a helicopter.

“Even though we recognize National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month throughout November, it’s vital to note that the law enforcement community is committed to acknowledging this disease year round in an effort to maintain the safety of individuals and spare families a lot of grief when locating a loved one who goes missing,” said Sheriff Golden.

For more information on the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver Program visit:
https://www.mcsonj.org/community-outreach/project-lifesaver/.

For a downloadable version of this press release, click here:  News Release-MCSO Recognizes National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month Through Project Lifesaver Program