Safety bracelet helps Washington County officers find missing Lake Elmo boy

Press Release 02/25/2013

On Sunday, February 24, at 1:27 pm , the Washington County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call of a missing  seven-year old boy from the area of the Cimarron Mobile Home Park
and Golf Course in Lake Elmo, MN. Several officers responded to the area to begin the search along with the Minnesota State Patrol helicopter.  

It was determined at the time of the call that the child was a participant in the Washington County Sheriff's Office SafetyNet Tracking program and could be identified and located with a
program bracelet. Upon arrival of the equipment, the child was located in a nearby home approximately fifteen minutes later. Without this beneficial program, this success could not have been so immediate. The SafetyNet program has been a very successful program for the Washington County Sheriff's Office since its inception .

SafetyNet Tracking addresses the risks associated with the growing market of people with cognitive conditions that wander and become lost. SafetyNet includes a bracelet worn by a client that has a condition such as Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome and dementia and who is at risk of wandering.  If the client goes missing, his or her caregiver reports the incident. Public Safety agencies that SafetyNet trains, certifies and equips with special SafetyNet Search and Rescue equipment are dispatched. These trained public safety personnel track the signal being emitted from the bracelet worn by the client. By using the SafetyNet service, public safety agencies can more effectively find and rescue People at Risk, eliminating traditional searches that often take countless man-hours.  And, caregivers gain peace of mind knowing that when a loved one wanders off, there’s a way to bring them back safe and sound.    

Press Release Prepared By:  Det. Sgt. Lonnie Van Klei