sheriff’s special services

In partnership with Project Lifesaver International, the Lea County Sheriff's Office is proud to offer the Project Lifesaver program to the residents of Lea County.

What is Project Lifesaver?

The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely responses to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer's, autism, and other related conditions or disorders. People who are part of the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized wristband that emits a radio frequency signal. When caregivers notify the Sheriff's Office that the person is missing, a search and rescue team responds to the wanderer's area and starts searching with the mobile locator system. Search times have been reduced from hours and days to mere minutes.

The Project Lifesaver wristband is much more than a passive ID bracelet.  It is a one-ounce battery-operated wrist transmitter that emits an automatic signal every second, 24 hours a day. As each wristband has a unique radio frequency, the Project Lifesaver search team can positively locate and identify the person who has wandered away from home or a care facility.

If you are a caregiver of an adult or child who might benefit from the Project Lifesaver program, please get in touch with our Project Lifesaver Coordinator listed below.

Captain Victor Hernandez

Lea County Sheriff's Office
Project Lifesaver Coordinator
1417 S. Commercial Street
Lovington, New Mexico 88260
575-396-8200

vhernandez@leacounty.net

This program helps ensure the safety of an individual with special needs/intellectual disabilities in a crisis situation. The roster is a project in partnership with the community and the Lea County Sheriff's Office. The online roster promotes communication and gives police quick access to important information about a person with special needs/intellectual disabilities such as their name, birthday, physical description, emergency contact information, known triggers and behaviors etc. This roster provides information that is critical for law enforcement prior to an officer's arrival at a scene and/or prior to contacting an individual with special needs, intellectual disabilities, or other mental illnesses.

To locate the individual, information may be shared with Local Law Enforcement, Fire and Rescue, and other necessary agencies in the community.

**The information must be updated and submitted every year to ensure the information is accurate. If the information is not updated, the file will be marked as "inactive" until current information is submitted.**