Scent Preservation Kit® PSA Airs in Marion County

Marion County, Florida has created a Scent Preservation Kit® PSA to promote the availability of Scent Kits for Marion County residents who are at risk for wandering and going missing. The public service announcement is a joint effort of The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and The Ocala Police Department, who have partnered with Marion Senior Services to help protect Marion County Florida’s elder population who are at higher risk for wandering due to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. The video features Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, Ocala PD Chief Greg Graham, Scent Evidence K9 CEO Paul Coley, and scent discriminate bloodhound, Rex.

Marion County’s Scent Preservation Kit Program

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) began their Scent Preservation Kits® in 2018 in conjunction with their Extra Special Person (ESP) program in an effort to find missing people faster and bring them home safely. The PSA increases the visibility of the community service program and helps protect the areas most vulnerable citizens and educate those in need of the benefits of preserving a person’s scent. For those in Marion County in need of services, visit http://www.marionso.com for more information.

Marion County Scent Preservation Kit® PSA

The following is an excerpt from an MCSO Press Release.

“Whether it is an elderly individual with Alzheimer’s disease, a person with Autism or a young child, the scent preservation kits will allow us to have the purest sample of that missing person’s scent readily available for our K9s to use to track.

The Scent Preservation Kits® are composed of a specially-treated jar, scent pad, sterile gloves, instructions, and tamper-proof tape. The scent is collected by rubbing the pad on the person’s underarm area and then sealing the pad in the jar to preserve the person’s scent. Custodians and caregivers will then secure the kit in an accessible place so if that person ever goes missing, they can provide that scent sample to our K9 unit so we can track them.” 

Alzheimer’s Disease, Autism, and Wandering

In Florida alone, 520,000 residents are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease with the number expected to increase to 720,000 by 2015. Studies show that 6 out of 10 of those with Dementia will wander and go missing. The American Pediatric Association states that almost 50% of those with Autism will go missing at least once before age 17. 

Scent Evidence K9 CEO, Paul Coley, stated, “Missing person incidents among at-risk groups are growing across the nation and so are the needs for more effective K-9 search resources. Establishing a Scent Preservation Kit® Program can help K-9 Units achieve greater location success and maximize the efficiency of search resources by providing the public with a way to help law enforcement find them if they go missing.”

Make the Scent Preservation Kit® Part of Your Family Safety Plan

A Scent Preservation Kit® is an essential addition to your family safety plan and one of the most effective and affordable ways to take precautions before a loved one goes missing. Preserving one’s scent ahead of time gives responding K9 Units a head start by providing the trailing dogs with an uncontaminated scent article. When a person collects and stores their own scent, it isn’t touched by other family members, pets, or responders. This means that K9 Units can begin searching immediately. In a missing person case, time can be a matter of life and death. Having a Scent Preservation Kit® prepared saves valuable time before the search begins and reduces the time it takes to find the lost and bring them home. A person can’t lose their scent. It’s like a fingerprint for scent discriminate K9’s.  Studies show that our Scent Preservation Kit® can safely preserve a person’s scent for up to 10 years. Protect and Prepare Your Family with the Scent Preservation Kit® or Child Safety Kit! Get Your Kits HERE Today.