Nearly $90,000 in state grant funding is available to support local governments in finding missing persons. Applications for the ‘Supporting Recovery Programs Persons Who Wander Grant Program’ will be accepted from October 30, 2023 until January 26, 2024.
The program, supported by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), provides grant funding to assist local governments or their designees in locating persons with medical conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias, autism, brain injury, or developmental, cognitive, neurological, or chromosomal disorders by encouraging county sheriffs' departments, municipalities, and county or municipal designees to establish recovery programs and provide tools that will increase the chances of saving the lives of lost and missing persons.
“At the CBI, we recognize the need for recovery resources to assist families with members who wander due to medical issues,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “We believe funding equipment, training, and valuable community outreach will make a significant impact on recovery programs, particularly in our smaller or more rural communities.”
The funding is available to any county, municipality, or local law enforcement agency seeking to create a new recovery program or maintain an existing program. The grants could be used in various ways, such as to provide tracking technology resources, personnel training and community outreach efforts.
For law enforcement interested in applying for this grant with questions, contact CBI Grant Specialist Drake Brownfield at drake.brownfield@state.co.us.
Senate Bill 22-187, passed during the 2022 Colorado legislative session, expands assistance provided to Colorado families of persons who wander, along with the availability of state-sponsored grants to assist local governments with recovery programs. The information is housed under the umbrella of the CBI website.