Village of Amityville, New York

Amityville Village Police participate in a countywide emergency rapid response locater program called Project Lifesaver. This program is capable of locating people who suffer from disorders such as Alzheimer's which cause them to wander and become lost. Project Lifesaver began as a program to help the elderly but has expanded to helping those afflicted with Autism, Down's Syndrome and other disorders.

Project Lifesaver relies on state-of-the art technology and specially trained search and rescue teams (SAR). Project Lifesaver clients wear a personalized one ounce battery operated transmitter/bracelet which emits an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day. Transmitters are smaller than a quarter and each transmitter has its own unique frequency.

When a Project Lifesaver client has wandered, a SAR team is immediately dispatched. While in route to the wanderer's last reported location, the SAR team activates a vehicle mounted locator tracking system and begins searching.

Project Lifesaver saves lives and significantly reduces the need for costly extensive search and rescue operations. Project Lifesaver says the average rescue time for people using its equipment is 26 minutes. The average time without the bracelet is nine hours.

The Amityville Police Department will be the conduit between Village residents who may possibly benefit from the service and Project Lifesaver. Police Officers will assist residents and/or their family members in getting a referral or additional information. Just call Amityville Police Department at 631-264-0424 and ask for Sgt. Glenn Slack.

Chief Donald J Dobby Jr. of the Amityville Police Department announces the "Test, Don't Guess Program" which makes home drug testing kits available to village parents that may suspect drug use by a child.

All too often we in law enforcement hear persons under arrest say, "I wish someone had done something to stop my drug use when I was a kid." We all know that drug use among teens is the single most prevalent precursor to future criminal behavior, which can lead to jail time. It is also a serious and growing public safety and health issue in our society.

Families living with teens can and sometimes do see the signs of potential drug use long before problems arise with the criminal justice system or serious accidents happen. THIS IS THE TIME FOR PARENTS TO TAKE ACTION.

And the sooner the better. A drug intervention plan is much easier to implement on a 13 or 14 year old child who may be experimenting with marijuana or prescription drugs than on an older teen engaging in heroin and cocaine use. However, parents can, and should, engage in active intervention with their children under the age of 18 if they suspect a drug use problem.

Drug testing in the privacy of your home may help confirm or alleviate your suspicions, and could be the first step towards emotional and physical healing for a drug-using teen.

The kits offered by the Amityville Police Department test for a variety of drugs including; marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine as well as several other controlled substances.

"We like to take a pro-active approach to policing and if this can help parents help their children we are glad to help" Chief Dobby stated. Several kits were recently made available to the Amityville school district for parents of students and they are also available at the Amityville Police Department.