Rapid Return is an offshoot of the department's Project Lifesaver, which started in 2007 as a way to track autistic children and elderly people suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The difference between the two programs is the technology.
Project Lifesaver relied on radio frequency to locate those who might wander off, meaning the missing person would have to be within a one-mile radius of a portable antenna and within a five-mile radius if the antenna was attached to a police helicopter.
Because Rapid Return uses cellphone signals, the missing person can be located anywhere there is a nearby cell tower. As long as a dispatcher can contact a 911 operator in the area where the signal is being transmitted, local police can find the missing person.
"It's better technology," said Sgt. Bill Cheuvront, one of the first officers trained in Howard County's Project Lifesaver, who is now in charge of Rapid Return. "It's a little less burden on the family. They would have to come in every month to charge the battery" on the old devices, he said.
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