“Everything happens for a reason,” as the saying goes.
“I was about to get on I-10. I was going south on Monroe and getting on the eastbound exit road to get on I-10. “Someone flagged me down and pointed to the man straddling the rail on the north side of Monroe Street,” said Deputy Trey Ford of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
On Saturday, Deputy Ford was going home when he came across a man who said he was going to jump off that fence. Even though it was a scary situation, he tried his best to stay calm until more help arrived.
“I was trying to be positive about the situation, but I was also thinking about what else needs to be done,” Ford said.
The video from the cops’ body cameras shows that they talked with the man for more than 40 minutes before they were able to get him to safety. ABC 27 made the man in the video hard to see so that he would be safe.
As a safety measure, deputies stopped traffic for a short time. Mark McGowan, a Field Training Officer with LCSO, talked to the man about who he was as a person to help him get back to safety.
“We have the same worries, crises, and stress that everyone else does. So we use that to connect with them and let them know they are not alone,” McGowan said.
McGowan says that when it comes to mental health, the sheriff’s office is the last line of defense.
McGowan said, “We have a mental health unit, and we have deputies with counselors who answer calls and help people through crises.”
One of the places they say to go is the Apalachee Center. The Mobile Response Team at the center is made up of doctors with master’s degrees. Gita Patel, who is in charge of the crisis services team, says that they are open 24/7.
Patel said, “We do have a fully staffed MRT that can help people over the phone, through telehealth, or in person.”
Help is being given to the man in the film. The deputies are glad that this story has a happy finish.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, there are places you can go for help.
You can call the Apalachee Center Mobile Response Team at 1-800-342-0774 at any time.
You can also call 988 to get in touch with the national suicide and crisis hotline. This resource is also open around the clock.
