Home Safe
The Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities
Supporting local jurisdictions’ efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries of individuals with forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease or developmental disabilities such as autism who, due to their condition, wander from safe environments.
About Home Safe
As many as 50 percent of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), such as autism spectrum disorder (autism), and as many as 60 percent of individuals with dementia, such as Alzheimer's Disease, will wander at some point in their lives. When that happens, law enforcement is often responsible for the search and rescue efforts. Wandering is a common behavior where individuals with IDD or dementia will leave a known environment with little to no consideration for safety or security.
To avoid these tragedies, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) provides funding to law enforcement and public safety agencies to implement technologies to track missing individuals and to develop or operate programs to prevent wandering, increase safety, and facilitate rescue. The IACP serves as the training and technical assistance provider to grantees of BJA's The Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities.
Learn more here.
The Law Behind Home Safe
Kevin and Avonte’s Law (H.R. 4421 and S. 2070), was named in honor of two boys with autism who wandered from safety and tragically lost their lives.
In 2008, nine-year-old Kevin Curtis Wills wandered from home and drowned in Iowa’s Raccoon River. In 2014, fourteen-year-old Avonte Oquendo wandered away from his school and drowned in New York City’s East River.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law is aimed at helping families locate missing loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and related conditions. The legislation supports initiatives that reduce the risk of injury or death of individuals with developmental disabilities, who due to their condition, may wander from safe environments.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law authorized BJA's The Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities. This program will support local efforts to address this public safety challenge by providing grants to health care agencies, law enforcement and public safety agencies, and nonprofit organizations, that implement locative technologies to track missing individuals, and/or develop or operate programs to prevent wandering, increase individuals’ safety, and facilitate rescue. These efforts will promote education and training of caregivers to prevent wandering and provide law enforcement officers the tools they need to help recover missing loved ones.
Grant Sites
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is currently providing funding to selected sites to support The Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities. This program furthers the Department's priorities by supporting law enforcement and public safety agencies in their efforts to reduce and prevent injuries and deaths of missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities, such as Alzheimer's or autism.
FY19 Kevin and Avonte Program Sites
Allegheny County Project Lifesaver- The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office will partner with Project Lifesaver to locate missing participants registered in the program. Any Allegheny County resident who is a caregiver to a person who has a tendency to wander or run from his/her residence as a result of Alzheimer’s, or another form of dementia, Down’s syndrome, autism spectrum disorder or another developmental disability, or a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, may enroll the individual in the program by contacting the District Attorney’s Office.
Bringing Home the Wanderers: Search and Rescue for the Cognitively Impaired - The Harris County Sheriff’s Office will partner with Project Lifesaver International to facilitate the rapid location of wanderers by equipping them with a small transmitter that emits an individualized tracking signal. When caregivers call 911 to report the person missing, a trained group of deputies will respond to the area and use a mobile locater tracking system to find the client.
Site Resources:
East Orange Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities Program - The City of East Orange Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Law and Public Safety has elected to work alongside Nassan’s Place, a local nonprofit organization devoted to providing support services, advocacy, and other resources for families affected by autism. They will also partner with AngelSense and Project Lifesaver. East Orange will educate not only first responders, but also caregivers and the public, about wandering behavior. The project includes training for first responders, expansion of specific technology designed to assist during these search and rescue events and community engagement to raise awareness of this behavior and share information about available strategies.
Elopement Prevention, Rescue and Safety Training for Autism Spectrum Disorder - The Autism Project (TAP) with local partners will train the community on evidence-based, person-centered strategies that can be used to support individuals with ASD, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities and many other related communication and social emotional disorders. TAP’s program will include: in-person training by TAP staff, collaborative in-person training with local agencies and partners (Autism Law Enforcement Center), online webinars, outreach, community events with hospitals, police and fire, expanded safety resources online and embedded safety information and resources in all of TAP trainings for family, care givers, community members and school personnel.
LA Found Initiative - The Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services program (administered by WDACS) has partnered with law enforcement (LASD) and will partner with Project Lifesaver to secure successful outcomes for people with impairment. The tracking bracelet is provided at no cost to the applicant. LASD is responsible for the search and rescue when people wander and can provide support to any law enforcement agency in the county.
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Project Lifesaver Program - The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will expand its Project Lifesaver program to locate missing persons with dementia and developmental related health issues. Project Lifesaver is an international program that provides locating services for those who are prone to wander away, specifically people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism, and other related diseases.
NAAs Big Red Safety Box Program - NAA will provide 6000 free boxes to families and 1000 free toolkits to schools across the U.S., which will educate caregivers, teachers, and first responders about autism-related wandering. Supplies that are contained within the free kits and consultants-contractor to act as a fulfillment center for 6000 boxes to educate families, teachers, and first responders on how to prevent and respond to autism-related wandering incidents; to provide tangible tools that help prevent injury or death related to wandering/elopement or the need for police involvement to help prevent the need for more restrictive measures; and to assist in teaching safety skills to those with autism
Proactive Program to Prevent Wandering and Elopement in Individuals with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities - Ascendigo is a comprehensive direct-service provider that will partner with local law enforcement and other advocacy groups. Services are based on a community-integration model in which individuals with autism are frequently out in the community, and not confined to a specific facility or day program. We regularly engage individuals with autism to recreate in our rural mountain communities with access to backcountry and wilderness areas. Ascendigo has worked well in the past with both local law enforcement and search and rescue.
Project Find Safe - The project, managed by the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities, will support health care agencies, law enforcement and public safety agencies, and nonprofit organizations, to develop unique prevention programs to protect the vulnerable person's right to be as independent as possible while implementing procedures in the home, school, work or other community setting. Such approaches include: prevention and response training; development of emergency protocols for school officials and first responders; efforts to ensure the safety of vulnerable individuals; and the implementation and operation of notification systems to assist in the recovery of missing individuals.
Site Resources:
Osceola County Project Lifesaver - The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) will partner with Project Lifesaver International to provide first responders and caregivers with a program designed to protect, and when necessary, quickly locate individuals with cognitive disorders who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering.
Spotsylvania County Project Lifesaver - The Spotsylvania County (SC) Sheriff’s Office will partner with Project Lifesaver to increase their already established Project Lifesaver program and enhance the range capabilities in locating the radio frequency emitted by the transmitters. Project Lifesaver is a program established to assist with locating wandering persons with Alzheimer’s and other Related Mental Dysfunction Disorders (ARMD), including Down’s syndrome and Autism.
Project to Reduce Injury and Death Related to Elder Dementia (PRIDE-D) - The goal of this program is to provide information for caregivers, medical professionals, and people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. The targeted region for PRIDE-D is 13 distinct counties in Middle Tennessee, ranging from densely urban to extremely rural. Activities within a 13-county region include: training first responders in Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults, providing workshops on wandering and Safe Return registration sites.
Wandering and Elopement Education and Training for Maryland - Pathfinders for Autism (PFA) will implement a comprehensive education and public awareness program in Maryland on the risks and strategies for wandering and elopement. PFA teaches classes for first responder agencies across Maryland. PFA will create and host regional workshops for parents and other caregivers on wandering and elopement prevention and strategies
Site Resources:
FY20 Kevin and Avonte Program Sites
Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles (LA) that serves LA County- The Keeping Home Safe Project proposes will work to build the region’s capacity to protect people with Alzheimer's-related dementia who are at risk for wandering and to educate and support caregivers and concerned community members by teaching a person-centered approach to symptom management. They also plan to expand the LA Found Task Force and Purposeful Aging: County and City, and adapt and translate the Keeping Home Safe curriculum into Chinese and Spanish.
Alzheimer's Community Care - The Wandering Prevention Program plans to train law enforcement through crisis intervention training (CIT) to respond to people with Alzheimer's. It will also educate day care centers, family nurse consultants, and the 24-hour crisis line, as well as provide biweekly caregiver support groups, and coordinate ID locator services (including medical bracelets, radio frequency bracelets, and home safety devices). General case management and professional education and training will be available to those responding to patients with dementia.
Blessed Be Hope For Three, Inc. - Hope for Three (H43) plans to develop a local, voluntary registry database for vulnerable populations, including individuals with developmental disabilities and forms of dementia, residing in Fort Bend County, Texas. The database will store their personally identifiable information, accessible to law enforcement, prior to an emergency or crisis. H43 will work with 10 families and 3 different police departments to develop and test the registry. Information collected in the database will expedite the search for a wandering individual by reducing the time necessary after a call for service and increase the speed and efficiency in which officers are able to respond, thereby decreasing department liability.
Boston Police Department (BPD) - This program plans to provide Safety Net RF Transmitters to people with dementia and developmental disabilities, which promotes quick and increased recovery. This program also plans to increase training with Boston's successful co-response program in partnership with Boston Medical Center’s Boston Emergency Services Team. This program will provide lifetime Safety Net service (GPS tracking) to 225 families of individuals who have a tendency to wander due to dementia or developmental disabilities, and provide dementia and developmental disabilities training to members of the BPD’s Street Outreach Unit.
Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) - The Missing Persons with Alzheimer's and Autism initiative plans to engage in cross-training, education, and increased partnerships to respond and rescue those who wander. The initiative will establish partnerships with BSO Fire Rescue, Nova Southeastern University, Alzheimer's Association Southeast Florida Chapter, Easter Seals/Southwest Focal Point, Center for Active Aging, Safety Net Tracking, and Arc Broward. The initiative will train law enforcement and partners, distribute tracking devices, and coordinate all program activities to include a public relations campaign consisting of email blasts, brochures, billboards, and a social media communication plan.
City of Cincinnati - The Cincinnati Police Department, in partnership with the Greater Cincinnati Alzheimer’s Association, Dementia Inclusive, the Regional Autism Advisory Council of Southwest Ohio, and the Cincinnati Public School System, plans to grow a community awareness and partnership program titled “The GRASP program,” which stands for: grow awareness, responder training, accelerated notification using tracking technology (centralized bank of GPS devices), support for individuals and families, and program sustainability.
County of Franklin (FC) - The Bringing the Lost Home Program plans to use K9 scent tracking through the Franklin County Emergency Management (FCEM) Agency, and will partner with the FC School Board and the Alzheimer’s of Tennessee South Central Office to respond effectively to individuals with Alzheimer's and developmental disabilities. It is served by three nonprofits that educate the community and ensure that families and local responders have individual preparedness plans in place. The project plans to provide education, training (including response training and protocols), consultation, products, and materials to the FCEM Agency and its partners.
Get Safe Choice Personal Safety Inc. - Get Safe plans to serve 10 Southern California counties to include San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Diego, and Imperial. It will provide 70 cross-training events to law enforcement personnel, family members, and caregivers working with persons with developmental disabilities and/or dementia, as well as at risk individuals
Lowell Police Department (LPD) - LPD plans to implement a Project Lifesaver program so that the department can track missing individuals with dementia and developmental disabilities and reduce the amount of time needed to return them home safely. The second approach includes fully launching the LPD Safe Watch Program (prevention program where information is provided to law enforcement about the person prone to wandering). Those who decide to participate in Project Lifesaver will be required to give consent for LPD to track the location of the person wearing the device. All participation is voluntary.
Madison County Government - The Bringing the Lost Home Project plans to use scent- discriminate trailing K9s and supporting equipment for people with dementia and developmental disabilities, and it will develop a public awareness campaign. It seeks to enhance the county's missing persons response protocol, the Scent Evidence K9 handler training. The program will distribute Scent Evidence K9 Human Scent Preservation Kits to participating families, which will include individual preparedness plans. The human scent collection device, materials, and plans proactively plan for response, and will increase public awareness and training for first responders.
Sumter County - The Sumter County Sheriff's Office plans a program that will provide GPS-enabled devices to individuals with Alzheimer's/dementia and developmental disabilities to assist with their timely and accurate location in case they wander from a safe environment. This program will use a model that strives to prevent wandering behavior and improve the autonomy of the individual while providing peace of mind to family members.
United Way of Lee Hendry Glades and Okeechobee - Project Re-Unite through the United Way (with 63 years of success in the area) plans to partner to provide training and education to community members, law enforcement, school districts, families, and guardians of individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. The project will provide tracking with technology such as GPS devices, helicopters with radar technology, drones, and bloodhounds to support the safe return of people who wander. A Samsung GPS tracking device will be provided to the participating family along with a K9 scent tracking kit.
FY21 Kevin and Avonte Program Sites
Alzheimer's San Diego, CA - Alzheimer’s San Diego and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department will expand their AlzSafety Workgroup that coordinates efforts with law enforcement and other partners to improve community safety for individuals with dementia. They also want to provide law enforcement, clinical, and community training on dementia, wandering, and their Take Me Home program.
Baltimore County, MD - The Baltimore County Police Department, in conjunction with local health care agencies, community-based advocacy groups, and supportive service agencies, will establish a program using locative technology to reduce deaths and injuries of individuals with forms of dementia or developmental disabilities. There will also be a training component to educate police officers and responders on intervening with participants experiencing behavioral crises.
Brockton, MA - The Brockton Police Department will create a comprehensive program that will use Project Lifesaver technology and outreach to assist Brockton residents with cognitive conditions. This project will initially protect up to 75 individuals with dementia and developmental disabilities who are at risk of wandering.
Charlotte County, FL - The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office will partner with the Charlotte County Special Olympics to assist local emergency personnel in improving the search performance for individuals with dementia and developmental disorders who wander due to their conditions through the Bringing the Lost Home Project. The goals are to enhance public awareness of wandering and provide the appropriate protocols and training for first responder agencies to facilitate safe rescues.
Folsom, CA - The Folsom Police Department will partner with the Folsom Fire Department to purchase tracking technology for those identified as being at risk of wandering. They plan to offer toolkits to caregivers of individuals who may wander including the offer to enroll in their three established assistance programs and will offer residents tracking technology like a Project Lifesaver transmitter band or a Vitals beacon.
Framingham, MA - The Framingham Police and Fire Departments’ Emergency Management Team seeks to expand the implementation of SafetyNet technology throughout Framingham. They plan to distribute 170 SafetyNet tracking devices to help locate individuals who wander due to autism or Alzheimer's disease.
Hudson County, NJ - Hudson County will create a program that closes the gaps in training and technology communication surrounding individuals who are prone to wandering. They will expand their existing AngelSense technological capacities and plan to partner with training providers and an outside evaluator to close those gaps.
International Association for Indigenous Aging, MD - The International Association for Indigenous Aging will seek to prevent wandering among tribal elders living with Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia through the Tribal Elder Safety Net Project. This project will also develop a wandering search and rescue support strategy in the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe reservation and create a replication guide for tribes nationwide.
Knoxville, TN - The Knoxville Police Department will establish a free registry program for individuals with developmental disabilities who wander. They will work with the Autism Society of East Tennessee and the Pat Summit Foundation in creating a person-centered program that minimizes restrictive interventions. Once the registry is launched, they will advertise the campaign and train Knoxville police officers and other local first responders regarding safe interactions and best practices when helping individuals who have developmental disabilities that are at risk of wandering from safe environments.
Los Angeles County, CA - Los Angeles County will partner with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to research the use of GPS/cellular technology for families and caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and autism. They are launching a focus trial with 30 families who will provide feedback on three different locative technologies. LA County was previously awarded this grant in 2020 and will continue to explore best practices for using locative technology.
New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety, NJ - The New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety will develop programming and support materials to cover a variety of topics related to locating individuals with dementia and autism who wander. The programming and materials will be specific to the realities of local response and nationally recognized training programs.
North Miami, FL - The North Miami Police Department’s Project LOST (Locating Our Survivors Timely) will employ Project Lifesaver technology to aid in the search and rescue of individuals with dementia or autism. Working with community partners, the North Miami Police Department will serve 75 participants prone to wandering due to their conditions.
Pinellas County, FL - The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office plans to expand its SafetyNet Tracking Program with an extensive public awareness and outreach campaign on social media. In addition, they will procure 300 SafetyNet Tracking Systems bracelets and will offer them for free to qualified low-income individuals. They will also train more officers in SafetyNet training.
Santa Rosa, CA - The Santa Rosa Police Department will procure the VITALS mobile application for their entire department and designate program staff to conduct community outreach. VITALS is a digital medical ID shared with first responders during interactions or in case of wandering. This program aims to bridge the gaps in police responses to calls involving individuals with Alzheimer’s and autism.
FY22 Kevin and Avonte Program Sites
Arkansas Support Network
The Austism Project
Pathfinders, INC.
City of Charlotte
City of Sunrise
City of New York
City of Richmond
Town of Brunswick
City of Hillsborouh
Liberty County
Osceola County Sheriff's Office
Town of La Plata
New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
FY23 Kevin and Avonte Program Sites
Area Agency on Aging of Central Florida, INC. Autism Society Central Virginia Chapter, INC.
Austism Society of Greater
County of Bergen
Chinese American Service League, INC.
City of Bethlehem
City of Boston
City of Jacksonville
County of Burlington
Get Safe Choice Personal Safety INC.
Harris County
City of Huntington
Liberty County
Metro Moore County Emergency Management Agency
Minot State University
MS Department of Public Safety
National Autism Association INC.
City of South Sioux
Town of Rowley
Training and Technical Assistance Resources
IACP is proud to serve as the TTA for the BJA grantee sites. We will be developing the following resources and tools at no cost to you to assist with effective law enforcement responses to missing individuals with dementia and developmental disabilities.
Home Safe Library of Resources
This resource library is a searchable database with resources related to reducing injury and death of missing individuals with dementia and developmental disabilities who, due to their condition, may wander from safe environments. The library contains a compilation of webinars, workshops, tools, articles, publications, and other resources sourced from a wide variety of authors, organizations, and programs.
Secure, online peer-to-peer sharing community exclusively for BJA grant sites of The Kevin and Avonte Program: Reducing Injury and Death of Missing Individuals with Dementia and Developmental Disabilities. Here, you will be able to network with fellow grant site team members, participate in discussions, share and find resources, and see upcoming events.
Resources
Considering Locative Technology in the Disability Community: Balancing Autonomy and Safety
This resource explores key considerations, including advantages and disadvantages, for locative technology to address wandering by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or dementia.
Law Enforcement Resources on Autism Spectrum Disorder
These resources provide law enforcement guidance on preparing for and responding to incidents of missing children with autism.
Law Enforcement Resources on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
These five resources provide law enforcement with information on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. These resources can be used by law enforcement to help assess and assist individuals in need.
Promising Practices to Address Wandering of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities or Dementia
This resource provides a comprehensive overview of wandering by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities or dementia. It explores promising practices for implementing communication, technology, and education strategies for wandering prevention, response to wandering, and recovery of individuals who have wandered.
E-Learning
Webinars, online toolkits, and more!
Past
What NCMEC Can Do for You: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Free Resources to Help Law Enforcement and Families - Sept. 29, 2021
Policing and People with Developmental Disabilities: Emerging Issues in the Field - April 28, 2022 (Recording and slides)
Exploring Locative Technology: What You Need to Know to Address Wandering - May 9, 2022
What Law Enforcement Need to Know About Developmental Disabilities: Tips from an Officer and His Son
May 31, 2023
Peer-to-Peer Learning
IACP can connect grantees or others needing customized assistance to mentors or subject matter experts who can provide guidance on best practices and tailored solutions.
Need Training and Technical Assistance?
Whether or not you are a grantee of BJA funding, the IACP is dedicated to advancing the policing profession through advocacy, research, outreach, and education in order to provide for safer communities worldwide.
IACP Resources
Alzheimer's Initiatives
Officer Response To Mental Illness
Resources on Developmental Disabilities
These resources discuss the importance of understanding developmental disabilities and highlight common encounters officers may have with individuals with developmental disabilities in the field.
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IACP Model Policies
Project Partners
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Contact Information
For more information, please contact us at homesafe@theiacp.org or 1-800-the-IACP X 6844
If you are a guardian or caregiver interested in locative technology for a loved one, please reach out to your local law enforcement agency representative
This project is supported by Cooperative Agreement Nos. 2019-NT-BX-K002 and 15PBJA-22-GK-03582-MAPX, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.
