Project SENTRY

Specialized Elopement & Neurodivergent Tracking, Rescue, and Yield

Behavioral Science on the Front Lines of Child Safety

Project SENTRY bridges the critical gap between empirical behavioral analysis and emergency field response. Wandering and elopement among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) present unique operational challenges that standard emergency frameworks are rarely equipped to address.

According to national behavioral and mortality data, over 70% of lethal wandering incidents involve accidental drowning, often occurring within minutes of a child quietly slipping away from an unfortified residence or vacation rental.

Project SENTRY operates a full-spectrum doctrine: combining proactive environmental fortification, specialized lost-person behavioral analytics, and on-scene rapid search and rescue deployment across the Southeast.

Our Three Strategic Pillars

1. Specialized Ground Search & Rapid Recovery (SAR)

When an elopement occurs, traditional search methods, such as loud hailing on megaphones, flashing vehicle lights, and high-stimulus search lines, can trigger acute panic, causing a neurodivergent child to flee further into dangerous terrain or conceal themselves in tight crawlspaces.

Project SENTRY deploys specialized volunteer units to assist local law enforcement and Incident Commanders:

Real-Time Behavioral Intake: On-scene Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) extract critical intelligence from caregivers, identifying high-value sensory lures, communication profiles (AAC/PECS), and fear triggers.
Low-Stimulus "Silent Sweeps": Search pairs conduct low-noise tactical sweeps prioritizing tight structural clearances and immediate water-hazard containment within a 1.5-mile radius.
Non-Coercive De-Escalation: Searchers execute gentle, non-threatening approaches using familiar sensory reinforcers to secure the child safely without inducing a fight-or-flight response.

2. The "Certified Autism-Adapted Rental™" Program

Unfamiliar vacation homes and short-term rentals along coastal waterways represent extreme risk zones for traveling special-needs families. Novel locks, accessible sliding glass doors, and unfenced tidal canals create immediate hazards.

Through this initiative, we partner with property management companies and vacation hosts to provide free, standardized environmental audits and multi-barrier hardware:

Secondary high-mount egress door latches ($\ge$ 5.5 ft).
Heavy-duty sliding glass door drop-bars and top-track locks.
Window opening track limiters ($< 4$ inches).
Wireless magnetic door/window contact alert chimes.
In-unit emergency profile binders and localized water-hazard maps.

Properties that meet our standardized behavioral inspection criteria receive the official "Certified Autism-Adapted" badge for listing on major booking platforms.

3. SENTRY SENTRY SafeHaven™ | Home Wandering-Defense Kit

Prevention begins at home. We assemble and distribute comprehensive, turnkey home-fortification packages directly to at-risk families free of charge. Additionally, we will provide families with travel fortification kits for hotel rooms and rental homes.

Home Kits:

Wireless entryway alert chimes.
High-mount reinforcement door flip-locks.
Sliding patio door security bars.
Visual environmental boundary cues ("STOP" signs).
Wearable emergency identification tags.

Portable Travel Kits:

Zero-damage, non-invasive travel safety packs featuring portable hotel door locks, compression window/sliding-track stops, non-marking egress chimes, door-wedge sirens, and snap-on handle covers to secure unfamiliar hotel rooms and temporary accommodations.

Operational & Clinical Leadership

Project SENTRY is led by an interdisciplinary team combining academic criminal justice research, board-certified clinical behavioral science, and tactical military emergency response:

Executive & Operational Director: Dr. Mariah Wilkins, DCJ
Clinical Director of Behavioral Search Operations: Marcella Ridley, BCBA
Field Clinical Lead: Katherine Farley
Director of Field Safety, Medical & Logistics: Douglas "Marshall" Wilkins (TCCC Certified)

Get Involved

Whether you are a certified clinician, a property manager, a local contractor, or a community partner, your support helps safeguard vulnerable children.

For Property Managers & Hosts: [Request a Free Autism-Adapted Rental Audit]
For Families & Caregivers: [Request a SENTRY Home Deterrence Kits]
For BCBAs, RBTs & SAR Trackers: [Apply to Join the Specialized Search Roster]
For Corporate Partners: [Support the SENTRY Deterrence Hardware Pipeline]

Institute of Juvenile Justice and Behavioral Policy

Dedicated to evidence-based juvenile safety, clinical behavioral intervention, and public safety innovation.

Charleston, South Carolina | 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

LEGAL NOTICE & CAREGIVER ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

"The wandering-deterrent features, chimes, and locks provided in this property are supplemental physical barriers designed solely to delay egress and assist caregivers. They are not a substitute for continuous, active adult supervision. The Institute of Juvenile Justice and Behavioral Policy, Project SENTRY, and property owners make no express or implied warranty that these devices will prevent all unsupervised exits. Caregivers maintain sole legal responsibility for the supervision and physical safety of minors under their care."

"Notice: The SENTRY SafeHaven package contains supplemental wandering-deterrent devices designed to delay egress and alert caregivers. These devices do not replace active, continuous adult supervision."

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