An elderly man was found alive nearly 19 hours after he walked out of the North Brook Heights assisted care facility Tuesday night, the Auburn Police Department said Wednesday.
Glen Van Patten, 78, was last seen by the facility's staff at 6:30 p.m. and was discovered missing at 7 p.m., police said. The APD was called at approximately 8:40 p.m. after the facility's staff searched the building.
Responding officers conducted a search of the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses by foot and car, but were unable to find Van Patten.
Captain Charles Augello, who orchestrated the APD search, said Tuesday night's bad weather and the clothing officers believed Van Patten was wearing at the time prompted him to request an emergency reverse 911 call at approximately 9:30 p.m.
“We knew he was not dressed for the weather,” Augello said. “He was just wearing a shirt and pants - no jacket - and he was not from the area ... The preservation of life is more important than slightly inconveniencing somebody by making them pick up the phone.”
The automated call notified Auburn and Sennett residents that the APD was searching for a missing person and asked for the public's help if anyone had information regarding Van Patten's location.
Police knew Van Patten walked away from the facility because his car was still in the parking lot and his keys and walker were still in his room, Augello said.
North Brook Heights Administrator Lloyd Harrington said the facility caters to elderly citizens who need some help with daily activities but still maintain a sense of independence.
Van Patten is one of the more independent residents and is allowed to come and go from the facility as he likes, Harrington said.
Van Patten was found under a bush a block away from the facility by a resident at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday, Augello said.
The resident told police they passed by the same area at 197 Grant Ave. earlier in the day and did not see Van Patten.
Van Patten appeared to be conscious and alert and had minor scrapes and bruises, police said. Van Patten was transported to Auburn Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Cayuga County 911 Administrator Denise Stayton, who had to approve the reverse 911 call, said nearly 19,000 households in Auburn and Sennett were called.
While police only wanted to call Sennett and the eastern portion of the city, Stayton said she was out of town and did not have a map that listed all the households in that portion of the city.
In order to ensure accuracy, Stayton said she and Augello decided it would be best to call every resident to make them aware of the search.
Because the system cannot place all the calls at once, Stayton said they were staggered. It takes approximately 1 hour to call 10,000 households and if the system picks up a busy signal, it will attempt to call that home three more times.
According to a 911 spokeswoman, not all homes were called because police decided to stop the calls just before 1 a.m. since it was getting late.
Homes that did receive a phone call heard an automated message that described Van Patten's appearance and where he was missing from, Augello said.
The system is used to send an automated message to residents in a specific area alerting them to an emergency situation. The system has been used during local man hunts and boil water advisories.
While some residents were not receptive to receiving a call late in the night, APD Lt. Shawn Butler said he believed those residents would have wanted the same calls to be placed if their loved one was missing.
Butler said some residents called or e-mailed both the APD and Auburn City Hall to complain about the overnight phone calls
While he believed the calls were needed, Butler said there are some kinks in the system that need to be addressed, including how to improve communication between the APD, the 911 center and the company that places the automated calls.
Stayton also said she will ask the county to purchase a mapping tool that will enable the 911 center to better select what areas to call if a similar situation occurs in the future.
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
Responding officers conducted a search of the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses by foot and car, but were unable to find Van Patten.
Captain Charles Augello, who orchestrated the APD search, said Tuesday night's bad weather and the clothing officers believed Van Patten was wearing at the time prompted him to request an emergency reverse 911 call at approximately 9:30 p.m.
“We knew he was not dressed for the weather,” Augello said. “He was just wearing a shirt and pants - no jacket - and he was not from the area ... The preservation of life is more important than slightly inconveniencing somebody by making them pick up the phone.”
The automated call notified Auburn and Sennett residents that the APD was searching for a missing person and asked for the public's help if anyone had information regarding Van Patten's location.
Police knew Van Patten walked away from the facility because his car was still in the parking lot and his keys and walker were still in his room, Augello said.
North Brook Heights Administrator Lloyd Harrington said the facility caters to elderly citizens who need some help with daily activities but still maintain a sense of independence.
Van Patten is one of the more independent residents and is allowed to come and go from the facility as he likes, Harrington said.
Van Patten was found under a bush a block away from the facility by a resident at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday, Augello said.
The resident told police they passed by the same area at 197 Grant Ave. earlier in the day and did not see Van Patten.
Van Patten appeared to be conscious and alert and had minor scrapes and bruises, police said. Van Patten was transported to Auburn Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Cayuga County 911 Administrator Denise Stayton, who had to approve the reverse 911 call, said nearly 19,000 households in Auburn and Sennett were called.
While police only wanted to call Sennett and the eastern portion of the city, Stayton said she was out of town and did not have a map that listed all the households in that portion of the city.
In order to ensure accuracy, Stayton said she and Augello decided it would be best to call every resident to make them aware of the search.
Because the system cannot place all the calls at once, Stayton said they were staggered. It takes approximately 1 hour to call 10,000 households and if the system picks up a busy signal, it will attempt to call that home three more times.
According to a 911 spokeswoman, not all homes were called because police decided to stop the calls just before 1 a.m. since it was getting late.
Homes that did receive a phone call heard an automated message that described Van Patten's appearance and where he was missing from, Augello said.
The system is used to send an automated message to residents in a specific area alerting them to an emergency situation. The system has been used during local man hunts and boil water advisories.
While some residents were not receptive to receiving a call late in the night, APD Lt. Shawn Butler said he believed those residents would have wanted the same calls to be placed if their loved one was missing.
Butler said some residents called or e-mailed both the APD and Auburn City Hall to complain about the overnight phone calls
While he believed the calls were needed, Butler said there are some kinks in the system that need to be addressed, including how to improve communication between the APD, the 911 center and the company that places the automated calls.
Stayton also said she will ask the county to purchase a mapping tool that will enable the 911 center to better select what areas to call if a similar situation occurs in the future.
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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gman wrote on Oct 8, 2009 12:49 PM:
skinzfan72 wrote on Oct 8, 2009 11:34 AM:
interesting wrote on Oct 8, 2009 9:44 AM:
genegirl59 wrote on Oct 8, 2009 9:35 AM:
An apt description of you and other complainers like you is:
Small Minds
Small Hearts. "
bodyparts wrote on Oct 8, 2009 9:10 AM:
Authorities absolutely did the right thing for all the right reasons. "
james_13021 wrote on Oct 8, 2009 8:31 AM:
The idea of the Call is a good one, but most normal hardworking people are asleep at midnight! What are we all suppose to do, get out of our beds and go looking for someone in the middle of the night, because an assisted living center lost a patient??? That's what the Police are for! Let the Police do their jobs. "
movedsouth wrote on Oct 8, 2009 8:19 AM:
interesting wrote on Oct 8, 2009 7:01 AM: