Project Lifesaver aims to help Kearney Police, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office find missing people

KEARNEY, NE — With every beep, law enforcement in Buffalo County get closer to finding a missing person.

“It gets real strong in that direction.”

Lieutenant Derek Luke is holding a specialized receiver.

“Then it gets quiet when I get away from it.”

The receiver is designed to direct the user to a specific radio transmitter worn by a person who has a tendency to wander off. The program is often applied to people with Alzheimer’s, autism or Down syndrome.

“It’s not safe when they’re not with their care provider," Luke said. "Especially on really cold days or really hot days, it’s really important that we find them quickly and get them the care they need and back to their loved ones.”

On Friday morning, Kearney Police and the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a training call in which an elderly man wandered away from a store. It only took 11 minutes for officers to find him across the street inside a vehicle.

“It can go from an hours and hours-long search with a lot of people, big manhunt, down to two or three people, three to four different devices (and) a matter of minutes,” Luke said. 

The technology was developed by international non-profit Project Lifesaver. It comes to central Nebraska thanks to the Jullia Rose Foundation in Lincoln.

Caregivers who want someone to wear a transmitter can volunteer and go through an application process.

“It could be life or death. Somebody would not survive dressed inappropriately out here for very long," Luke said. "So the faster we find them, the better it is for their health and everybody else.”