Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam) and Schenectady County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino joined parents and community activists on Thursday at Puzzles Bakery & Café in Schenectady to announce a major expansion of the county’s Project Lifesaver program.

Project Lifesaver is designed to help local law enforcement agencies find missing people who have a tendency to wander, including people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s and other related conditions. These individuals wear a discreet bracelet on their wrist or ankle, which when activated, will allow law enforcement officers to quickly find them and avoid costly search and rescue efforts.

Using a $30,000 federal grant secured by Assemblyman Santabarbara and asset forfeiture funds obtained by the sheriff’s department, Schenectady County will be able to afford new bracelets, receivers, a training transmitter and additional training for sheriff deputies.

“It’s critical that we invest in this life-saving technology to protect our most vulnerable citizens and I’m pleased to have a strong partnership in this effort with Sheriff Dagostino and Schenectady County,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “The next step is to adopt my legislation that would establish a statewide program and ensure these bracelets are available to all our families.”

“We adopted Project Lifesaver in Schenectady County because it’s a valuable tool to ensure the safety of families in our community,” said Schenectady County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino. “Working with Assemblyman Santabarbara we are expanding the availability of the program to provide more families with the peace of mind that these bracelets provide.”

“Project Lifesaver can reduce the search for a missing person from hours and days to minutes, which can be the difference between life and death. I encourage parents of a child with autism to take advantage of this program and support Assemblyman Santabarbara’s effort to expand it across the state,” said Cindy Barkowski, the parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Earlier this summer the state invested $253,000 in expanding access to Project Lifesaver technology and training across New York, including counties where the program is brand new, such as Saratoga and Montgomery counties in the Capital Region.

In order to ensure Project Lifesaver is effectively working in New York, Assemblyman Santabarbara is advocating for his legislation investing in the creation of a comprehensive statewide system. The legislation would ensure that local and state agencies are coordinating in search efforts using the technology and would make the bracelets available to any families that requested one.

“Establishing a statewide system where law enforcement agencies are using compatible technology, coordinated training for first responders and bracelets are available to individuals at risk for wandering is the best and most effective way to protect all our families,” added Assemblyman Santabarbara.