In a story from the Daily Herald, Buffalo Grove Police in Illinois announced Care Trak, a new program that will enable them to track, and find, persons with special needs if they go missing during a city council meeting last week.
The system uses radio transmitters to “find individuals with Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome and similar disabilities who may have wandered away. It is available to residents who meet the guidelines, which include having a full-time caregiver.”
Families who meet a “needs assessment” can buy the transmitters–about the size of a standard wrist watch–and secure it to the wrist or ankle of family members. Once attached and activated, the transmitter sends out a signal, which will allow police to locate individuals who are missing.
Once notified, police can use directional tracking devices to locate the missing individual; the range of the signal varies, about a mile on the ground or five from an aircraft.
According to the Daily Herald, sixteen departments in Northern Illinois use the system, including Schaumburg, Crystal Lake and Naperville. It has assisted in more than 2,000 rescues.
