JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 When a vulnerable loved one goes missing, it\u2019s frightening- and the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office is the agency called in to help find them.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a lifesaver for Mack Bronner, whose wife has dementia and is prone to wandering. \u201cI\u2019m now able to get a little sleep,\u201d he says, \u201c because [when] she leaves, it\u2019s tough, very tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe average search without a tracker,\u201d he says, \u201ccould be anywhere from two hours to two to three days. When you have a tracker in place, the longest search that we\u2019ve had thus far with a tracker is two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n After Bronner went missing the first time, JSO offered the family the opportunity to participate in the program. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been great,\u201d Bronner says, \u201cbecause 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The Care Track program is free for those who meet the requirements: people with cognitive disabilities \u2014 adults or children \u2014 who are prone to wander. \u201cThe trackers,\u201d says Monts, \u201care a vital resource for us to find them quickly and safely.\u201d<\/p>\n The tracker uses an old-school radio frequency that JSO\u2019s tracking technology can pick up within two miles. The louder the signal, the closer they are to the person.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n That\u2019s critical time, Monts and Bronner say, in a situation where minutes matter. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to wake up at one o\u2019clock in the morning,\u201d Bronner says, \u201cand then your loved one is gone and you don\u2019t know which direction they went. You know, you call JSO and they get right on it and they find them.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in the program, you can get started by enrolling them in the Duval R.E.V.A.M.P. registry.<\/a><\/p>\n