Chelsea launches program to help prevent disappearances of people with cognitive impairments

When a 12-year-old boy with autism disappeared on Halloween night, Chelsea police and Massachusetts State Police search and rescue teams deployed to look for him.

The nonverbal child was found safe in Boston hours later and reunited with his family.

"Thank god this juvenile was found in Boston. There was no way we could have found him if it wasn't for a good Samaritan who called us," said City Manager Fidel Maltez.

That wasn't the first time the boy has disappeared. Last year, another child with autism did, as well.

Now, they are the first two Chelsea residents to receive a SafetyNet tracking bracelet.

The bracelets emit a radio frequency signal with a unique ID number that can be picked up by receivers provided to public safety agencies by SafetyNet Tracking Systems.

"The average search time for somebody on this Safety Net program, from the time they get reported missing, is 30 minutes or less," said Ralph Poland, a retired Marshfield police officer who now works with SafetyNet Tracking Systems.

Poland helped train the Chelsea Fire Department in using the technology this summer.

"Time is very important, especially around this part of the country," he said. "In the wintertime, when somebody's missing at 2 o'clock in the morning in the middle of a snowstorm, you don't have hours and hours to look for them."

The City of Chelsea is inviting caregivers of people living with autism, Alzheimer's, dementia and other cognitive conditions to enroll in its SafetyNet Tracking Program and receive a free tracking bracelet, funded by a Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

"It can be so traumatic to lose your child," said Maltez. "This program that we are launching can be such a game-changer."

Chelsea residents can sign up by contacting city hall through 311.

Poland said 45 agencies in Massachusetts use SafetyNet technology, including Massachusetts State Police, the primary search agent for approximately 170 SafetyNet clients.

A spokesperson said the law enforcement agency receives approximately 12 calls per year.