Westmoreland county lacks the technology and programs necessary to track and locate missing vulnerable individuals

The Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg, Pennsylvania was awarded a $150,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Assistance Program (CFDA 16.015). The goal of this program is to support local jurisdictions' efforts to reduce deaths and injuries of individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities who wander from safe environments.

Through this grant, Westmoreland County will launch "Project Lifesaver" to address the public safety concern of missing vulnerable individuals. The county will purchase tracking technology and equip local law enforcement and emergency response agencies with the necessary tools to efficiently locate and recover lost individuals. The project will also involve providing training to certify agencies in the use of the locative technology. This 3-year grant award period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

To address this public safety concern, westmoreland county will launch project lifesaver. Reports from the westmoreland county 911 public safety answer point show 854 missing person calls between january 2021 and december 2023. These calls activate law enforcement to engage in search and rescue operations. The use of project lifesaver education and technology in westmoreland county will help law enforcement and emergency response agencies to efficiently recover lost individuals. The countys topography includes approximately 51.9% wooded areas, 131 named waterways, 8.5 square miles of water, and 2,200 acres of wetlands. These features present hazards for individuals that wander from safe environments. The westmoreland county district attorneys office, sheriffs department, department of public safety, aging office, behavioral health and developmental services, intermediate unit, assert, community action, and achieva will directly link project lifesaver to vulnerable individuals, and caregivers, allowing them to remain in the most person-centered holistic environment. Through collaboration, a local program will be designed, established, and operated. Westmoreland county will purchase tracking technology to locate and recover vulnerable individuals. In partnership with police departments and the county sheriffs department, the program will equip stations with locative technology. Project lifesaver westmoreland county will conduct the training to certify agencies in the use of project lifesaver locative technology.