Project Lifesaver helps deputy find missing P.A. man

Published 12:24 pm Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Law enforcement officers and a bit of technology called Project Lifesaver worked together to find a missing Port Angeles resident Friday, April 24.

At about 7:45 p.m. April 24, a 76-year-old male resident of Peninsula Manor — an assisted living facility in Port Angeles — was reported missing. The man is a Project Lifesaver client and was wearing a small electronic device about the size of a small watch that emits a specific radio frequency.

Clallam County Deputy Matt Murphy responded to the area and, with Port Angeles Police Department officers Josh Powless and Lucas Degand, used Project Lifesaver receivers to find the man just after 8 p.m., less than a block away from the facility.

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver program is designed to track and rescue individuals with cognitive conditions who tend to wander. The service answers a critical need for protecting people at risk for wandering, including those with Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome and dementia.

Nationwide, the average Project Lifesaver search time is less than 30 minutes.

The service is available for all qualified participants living within Clallam County. For more information about the Project Lifesaver program, call the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office at 417-2262 or visit www.clallam.net/sheriff.