NATICK, Mass. (WGGB) —LoJack is back, but it’s not what you think.
State Troopers held a demonstration using SafetyNet, a technology that may help save lives.
“Today we have a live person we are going to fit with a transmitter on their wrists & they’re going into the woods & we’ll find them utilizing the receiver device that we have” said State Police Lt. Robert Leverone.
http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html
The bracelet is a tracking system is used to find people with cognitive conditions who might get lost. “It has been a difficult task to locate people who go missing with these types of conditions because of the unique nature – caregivers, parents of children with autism, people with dementia, if they hear about the SafetyNet, program, they can call LoJack safety net directly, they can enroll throughout call center. It has to be a documented medical condition. It can’t be wayward teens or young toddlers” said Scott Martin, Director of Law Enforcement at SafetyNet.
Once you’re signed up, SafetyNet supplies the bracelet, straps, and batteries.
The bracelet sends out a radio frequency that lets out a continuous signal.
The receiver can reach up to two miles on the ground, or five to seven miles if searching by helicopter.
Once you realize your loved one is missing, you contact the police, who will use SafetyNet’s search and rescue receivers to track the signal.
The “missing person” in the demonstration was actually state trooper Scott Irish.
It only took 10 minutes to find him using SafetyNet. Irish has worked in Springfield, and thinks this device will be great for Western Mass. “The rural areas that are out there, the opportunity to get lost out there is obviously far greater than in the Eastern part of the state. To find a lost person in 10 minutes? That’ll be a huge lifesaving asset” Irish noted.
There are over 16 cities using the technology, including Boston.
There is currently no coverage in Western Massachusetts, but with every state trooper trained in using the equipment and in cognitive disorders, they say it’ll allow them to avoid a potential tragedy.
State troopers will begin using SafetyNet July 1st.
