Devices help police track down wanderers in St. Charles County

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- A new tracking system in St. Charles County is helping police find people with Alzheimer's disease or autism who may wander off by themselves.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported about 20 people with such conditions in St. Charles County are using Care Track, a monitoring device worn like a wrist watch.

The device began as a way to track endangered animals. Police can find its location from one mile on the ground, five miles from the air or 12 feet under water.

Police Cpl. Steve Case, whose son has autism, started the program by teaming up with the St. Charles County Health Department.

More than 500 agencies around the U.S. use the device, but the Illinois-based company said this program is believed to be the only one in the St. Louis area.

The device costs about $300 for a watch, or $1,000 for a system that allows clients to search for missing loved ones on their own.

Mike Chylewski, vice president of Care Trak, said the system costs $5,000 for police officers.

The officers also get training to learn the basics about the diseases and conditions that most of the users have, such as how Alzheimer's patients typically retain long-term memory and may return to their former homes.

He said the radio telemetry system has proved to be less expensive and more reliable than a GPS.

Before 18-year-old Ryan Delaney had the watch, his parents used to tether him by a leash to his black Labrador retriever. The dog was trained to drop to the floor and act as a dead weight if Delany tried to run.

But his parents still feared what would happen to Delaney, who is autistic, if he ran without the dog to hold him back.

Delaney visits the health department about every three months to have the device checked and its battery changed for $6. His parents check twice a day to ensure the battery is working by holding the watch against a box that lights up if it is.

Priscilla Hunter, whose husband has Alzheimer's disease, said Care Track gives her a feeling of control.

"It's like a security blanket for me," she said. "Our life has to be as normal as possible. Would I stop living because of it? No. This has made me feel a little more secure so that if he does get away, he could probably be found."