South Fulton Police roll out Project Lifesaver program to track residents who wander

South Fulton police announced on March 19 that the department has launched Project Lifesaver, a search-and-recovery program that uses wearable transmitters to help officers locate residents who wander because of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism or other cognitive disorders.

Police Chief Keith Meadows said the program was born after reviewing a body-camera recording of an encounter with a child with autism and deciding the department needed more training and technology. “When I went back and looked at the body camera video, quite frankly, I didn't like what I saw,” Meadows said as he introduced the program.

Captain Nicholas Williams, who is leading the effort, described the hardware and training. “This technology effectively locates wandering adults and children using personalized wristbands that emit tracking signals,” Williams said. He told council the system uses radio-frequency transmitters and receivers operated by officers who have completed Project Lifesaver training. Williams said agencies using the program nationally reduce search times from hours or days to minutes and reported an average recovery time of about 30 minutes.

Williams outlined enrollment rules and requirements: clients must be South Fulton residents, have a legally responsible caregiver willing to participate, complete an application and provide a clinical diagnosis when required. The captain emphasized caregiver responsibilities — daily transmitter checks and periodic battery replacement — and said the program has no expiration date once a person qualifies.

Williams said the department started with 30 transmitters, has 12 registered clients in South Fulton and maintains a waiting list. He asked council members to consider purchasing additional transmitter kits. “Each kit costs $347 and total cost per district is 1,735,” Williams told the council. (The department later told council staff it had identified internal funds to start the program and was working on distribution.)

Council members and organizers stressed outreach and training. Councilman J.C. Sebastian and others described joint training sessions for officers and community forums. Devon Lee, a parent whose experience helped prompt the effort and who appeared in a media story shown to the council, described the program as “a huge relief” for families who fear a loved one will wander.

Williams said officers will carry vehicle-mounted antennae to increase search range and that the Project Lifesaver system is not GPS-based but relies on radio-frequency tracking; he added the vendor’s cremator-style language in earlier materials does not apply — this system is radio-based hardware and operator training.

The department said marketing and outreach are under way, including a partnership with Lexicon Strategies and local advocates, and that it is coordinating with surrounding jurisdictions so transmitters can be used regionally if a registered resident wanders into a neighboring area.

Council members asked for clarifications on eligibility, device life cycle and rollout pace. Williams said the department hopes to enroll about 30 people in the first year and will seek grants, donations and other funding sources if needed, though he told council staff he had already identified some city funds to begin issuing transmitters.

The department did not present a council motion or budget appropriation during the meeting. Officials said they will return with specific funding requests if additional council action is required.