Incident in Washington City a Project Lifesaver reminder

An elderly man wearing a Project Lifesaver bracelet, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2016 | Photo by Shelden Demke, St George News

WASHINGTON CITY – A little girl outfitted with a Project Lifesaver bracelet was reported missing Tuesday afternoon, only to be found over an hour later safe and playing with children at a neighbor’s home.

Project Lifesaver bracelets St. George, Utah, April 18, 2016 | Photo by Shelden Demke, St George News
Project Lifesaver bracelets St. George, Utah, April 18, 2016 | Photo by Shelden Demke, St George News

In between the time she was reported missing at 2:15 p.m. and when she was eventually found at around 3:35 p.m., however, someone had removed the girl’s Project Lifesaver bracelet, said Ed Kantor, of the Washington City Police Department.

The police subsequently issued a community notice via mobile phones about the missing girl who was found soon after.

The bracelets, which can run between $250 and $300, are special devices that allow police and other agencies to track potentially at risk individuals in the event they wander off. These individuals can be those with autism, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s and so forth.


Read more about Project Lifesaver here.


The bracelet appears to have been removed by someone unfamiliar with what Project Lifesaver is and does, Kantor said. There was nothing malicious or ill-intended behind it, he said.

Project Lifesaver scanner and devices, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2016 | Photo by Shelden Demke, St George News
Project Lifesaver scanner and devices, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2016 | Photo by Shelden Demke, St George News

Washington City recently received a $68,000 grant from Intermountain Healthcare to help better implement the Project Lifesavor program throughout the city and surrounding community.

St. George, Hurricane and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are also involved in the program.

The St. George and Washington police departments offer the bracelets for free. All a person needs to do is contact them and fill out the necessary paperwork for approval.

“Ultimately what we’re looking to speed up is our response time in locating these individuals, providing some relief to family members so they know if their loved one was to get out, there is this resource to help locate them,” St. George Police Officer Derek Lewis said.

Anyone interested in applying to the Project Lifesaver tracking system through St. George Police can contact Detective Derek Lewis at 435-627-4358. Washington City Police can be contacted at 435-986-1515.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

 

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