Washington County Sheriff's Office Launches Project Lifesaver

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – The Washington County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office along with the Jonesborough Police Department hosted the latest training session for Project Lifesaver at the Jonesborough Senior Center on Wednesday.

The project, designed to help find missing people more quickly, is expected to start on Thursday.

Project Lifesaver places personal bracelet GPS locators on people known to wander, including people with Alzheimer's disease and autism.

Law enforcement will combine these bracelets with other missing person locator tactics, such as tracking dogs and drones, to enhance search efforts.

“It's a multi-layered effect that the sheriff has brought to us now – so we have the drone, as well as the K-9, and then we have Project Lifesaver to more quickly recover people who have wandered,” said the Captain Shawn Judy.

The bracelets run on batteries and emit a radio signal. Judy says these bracelets can reduce the average rescue time to less than 30 minutes.

The project is entirely funded through donations to the sheriff's office. Anyone can make a donation to cover the cost of a device for a community member through the Friends of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, a nonprofit organization that supports community programs.

To enroll in the Project Lifesaver program, contact Capt. Shawn Judy or Sgt. Mike Adams at the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 423-788-1414.