The newton county sheriffs office (NCSO) will utilize funding to establish and operate a holistic, locally based, proactive program to locate or prevent the wandering of individuals with forms of…

The Newton County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) was awarded a $150,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Assistance Program (CFDA 16.015). The funding will be used to establish and operate the "Bringing the Lost Home" (BLH) program, which aims to locate and prevent wandering of individuals with dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, or developmental disabilities, such as autism. The program will involve purchasing location tracking technologies, developing community awareness initiatives, training first responders, and establishing partnerships with local agencies and organizations to support vulnerable populations at risk of wandering. The 3-year project period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

The newton county sheriffs office (NCSO) will utilize funding to establish and operate a holistic, locally based, proactive program to locate or prevent the wandering of individuals with forms of dementia such as alzheimers disease or developmental disabilities such as autism, who due to their condition, wander from homes or other safe environments. The proposed bringing the lost home (BLH) project will assist emergency personnel in improving the search performance for locating missing residents, especially these populations that have a high propensity to wander. The NCSO plans to purchase the BLH program from scent evidence K9. The BLH project utilizes non-restrictive interventions in preparing individuals and families, and in responding to individuals who have wandered from safe environments. The lead agency of the BLH project will be the newton county sheriffs office. NCSO will partner with view point health, project lifesaver, and the newton county school system special needs education to raise awareness of the wandering risks of these populations, and to ensure that individual preparedness plans are in place. In addition, emergency management agencies and law enforcement officials in the surrounding counties will have access to missing persons response services through memorandums of understanding.