Crisis intervention: How a CHP officer coaxed a man off Bay Bridge railing
The California Highway Patrol told the story Friday of an officer who coaxed a man off the railing of the Bay Bridge after he appeared ready to leap from the 190-foot-high ledge.
The San Francisco officers received calls about a pedestrian walking westbound on the shoulder of the bridge at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, the CHP said.
Officer Dustin Ribergaard soon located the man, who wore a black ball cap and black pants. But he walked away from Ribergaard, before turning and pointing a large stick at him, officials said.
Ribergaard followed at a distance and waited for backup units. Officials said that when other officers arrived at the scene, the man “suddenly walked to the concrete bridge railing and swung both his legs over the side as though to jump off the bridge.”
Officer Vu Williams, a spokesman with the CHP, said the officers relied on their crisis-intervention training and designated Ribergaard as the sole officer to communicate with the man. The other officers backed away as Ribergaard spoke to him.
The man initially ignored Ribergaard. Although it’s not clear specifically what Ribergaard told the man, all CHP officers receive crisisintervention training designed to diffuse situations with those experiencing mental health or drug-related issues, Williams said.
Tactics include speaking slowly, keeping physical distance and taking time, he said. The goal is to resolve the situation without using force. It worked.
The man agreed to leave the bridge with Ribergaard after about 30 to 45 minutes, Williams said.
Officials said the incident was resolved without injuries, and the man was taken into custody for a mental health evaluation.
The training officers receive includes how to spot clues about a person’s state of mind and “tailoring the way you communicate with people through that,” Williams said.