JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When a vulnerable loved one goes missing, it’s frightening- and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is the agency called in to help find them.
It can take hours, even days, but there is technology in place that can help. JSO says it could even be the difference between life and death.
It’s been a lifesaver for Mack Bronner, whose wife has dementia and is prone to wandering. “I’m now able to get a little sleep,” he says, “ because [when] she leaves, it’s tough, very tough.”
She has wandered off at least half a dozen times, but the JSO Care Track program has found her and brought her back. Sergeant Michael Monts of the Missing Persons Unit says the tracker technology cut the search time exponentially.
“The average search without a tracker,” he says, “could be anywhere from two hours to two to three days. When you have a tracker in place, the longest search that we’ve had thus far with a tracker is two hours.”
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After Bronner went missing the first time, JSO offered the family the opportunity to participate in the program.
“It’s been great,” Bronner says, “because she has been missing like four or five hours sometimes and they had to go find her and they found her and brought her back home safe.”
The Care Track program is free for those who meet the requirements: people with cognitive disabilities — adults or children — who are prone to wander. “The trackers,” says Monts, “are a vital resource for us to find them quickly and safely.”
The tracker uses an old-school radio frequency that JSO’s tracking technology can pick up within two miles. The louder the signal, the closer they are to the person.
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Action News Jax put it to the test. Emily Turner went to hide about a mile away with a tracker and the JSO team broke out their gear. It took the team less than ten minutes to locate her.
That’s critical time, Monts and Bronner say, in a situation where minutes matter. “It’s hard to wake up at one o’clock in the morning,” Bronner says, “and then your loved one is gone and you don’t know which direction they went. You know, you call JSO and they get right on it and they find them.”
If you’re interested in the program, you can get started by enrolling them in the Duval R.E.V.A.M.P. registry.
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