PRESCOTT, Wis. - A program offered in Wisconsin's Pierce County and Saint Croix County aims to prevent the nightmare that a Prescott-area family went through this week.
Each of the county's sheriff's departments recently adopted Project Lifesaver.
The program helps safeguard people who are at risk for wandering because of Alzheimer's, autism or other medical conditions.
The person wears a band that emits a personalized FM signal.
If they are missing, a trained emergency team begins searching. Officials said that authorities are usually able to track down the person using the technology in about 30 minutes.
Scott Meyer, a 5-year-old boy who suffers from autism and isn't able to speak, snuck out of his families home on Tuesday.
Search crews searched for the boy who was found safely on Wednesday.
"If I was sitting in this building, GPS wouldn't work. When I'm driving around many places I don't have service on my cell phone, FM frequency is everywhere," said Lt. Mike Waltz of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
Project Lifesaver is used in 46 states.
To enroll in the Pierce County version of the program, go to projectlifesaverpiercestcroix.org.
You can also go to projectlifesaver.org for more information about the national program.
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