Program aims to outfit vulnerable people with tracking bracelets

Mario Cortolezzis, who has an autistic son, Dante, has met with officials in Carver County to promote Project Lifesaver which outfits vulnerable kids and adults with a radiowave-emitting bracelet. Cortolezzis is working to get his 5-year-old Dante a bracelet. They found Dante knee-deep in a pond earlier this month when he wandered from their Waconia backyard, according to the Star Tribune. Cortolezzis is raising money to bring the progam to Carver County. He estimates it will cost $20,000. There are about five Minnesota counties using the technology including Olmsted County. The program is attractive to law enforcement because it’s potentially cost-effective, said Mike Bromberg, who ran the program for the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office. Considering the costs of personnel and equipment, just one or two traditional searches for missing children would justify the cost of implementing Project Lifesaver, he said. Still, the upfront costs are prohibitive for some counties. Receivers cost about $2,500 and new programs require training people to use the technology.