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"I'm not sure I'll have 20 seconds!"
The anatomy of a difficult police call
The Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge sits 160 feet above the Roanoke River |
10:59 p.m. [There's] "a male standing at bridge, looks like he might try to jump off."
It was an unusually warm and humid May evening. Just before 11 p.m., Communications Officer Lena Ford with the Roanoke County Emergency Communications Center took an anonymous call of a possible suicide attempt on the Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge near milepost 114. The bridge spans the Roanoke River and is flanked by American Electric Power's Niagara hydroelectric plant on one side and a beautiful view of the river gorge on the other. Unfortunately, the 160-foot drop into the rocky riverbed below is sometimes a site for desperate acts.
Michelle Alderson, a Roanoke County police officer who was on midnight shift when the call came in, was patrolling nearby and took the call. Barely a year out of the police academy, Michelle had been trained and prepared for the worst, and that's exactly what she found when she got to the bridge. A man was clinging to the six-inch-wide ledge outside the bridge railing and wanted to die. When Michelle came on the scene, she radioed a fellow police officer who was already heading to the scene for help; the fellow officer responded that he'd be there in 20 seconds. Michelle radioed back, "I'm not sure I'll have 20 seconds!"
Five hours after that chilling call, this situation had a happy ending. Left alone, the man who was attempting to jump may have done just that, but how does Roanoke County Public Safety avert tragedy and respond when a crisis such as this is underway? Below is an interview with Officer Alderson and Lt. Mike Warner, who was the primary negotiator at the scene.
Officer Alderson, Lieutenant Warner, and Communications Officer A.J. Akin. who handled most of the 9-1-1 communi-
cations that evening  |
Describe the scene when you arrived.
Michelle: The man was on the ledge when I got there. I tried to engage him in conversation to keep him talking; he seemed responsive but not particularly receptive. He was definitely desperate and said repeatedly he didn't want to live.
Mike: I arrived about 10 minutes after the call came in. I thought the situation would be over by the time I arrived, but the man was lying on the ledge with just his head visible and Michelle had started to develop some rapport with him. It wasn't a good situation, and I couldn't envision a good outcome.
What goes on "behind the scenes" in this type of situation?
Mike: All available resources are deployed at a time like this, primarily through the Emergency Communications Center, which is also known as Roanoke County's 9-1-1 dispatch center. Negotiating and tactical teams from Police and Fire & Rescue were sent to the site. Distractions can be deadly, so the dispatch center worked with Norfolk Southern to stop the trains that ordinarily pass under that bridge during that time until the situation was resolved. Dispatch also worked with the National Park Service to close the gates that control that section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Roanoke County's Fire & Rescue Department had a ropes team there as well as a medical unit. The Emergency Communications Center checked to see if the subject already had something on file with the Police Department to hopefully get a better sense of that person so we would know what to say and what to avoid saying while building his trust. By the time we arrived, he wasn't in the mood to switch from Michelle to a trained negotiator, so we respected that and stayed behind the scenes and communicated with her through her radio earpiece. I doubt he knew the number of people who were actually on the ground and behind the scenes focused on saving his life.
Michelle: Lt. Warner worked out a strategy for me to respond to him through my earpiece. His instructions and suggestions were critical to a positive outcome. I acknowledged my understanding of what he was saying through gestures he established, like raising my hand or scratching my head.
Mike: Michelle had the hard job of talking to someone she'd never met for five hours. There were times when I was quietly working with other officers for ideas on what to say next. There were times we were out of ideas, but Michelle kept working with him. At one point, she sat down on the ground - a clear signal of trust to the subject. For police officers, it's a vulnerable position and the tactical units were prepared to use less lethal equipment if the guy decided to come over the railing toward her. He was in a precarious situation on the ledge and could have fallen at any moment, whether unintentionally or on purpose.
Mike, how would you describe Michelle's performance?
Outstanding! Michelle was very professional, a great team player, and deserves much of the credit for saving a life that night.
Michelle, how did you feel after it was all over?
I was ecstatic when he came over the railing voluntarily. There didn't seem to be any particular turning point that changed his mind - I just think he grew tired and possibly sobered up a bit. My shift was almost over, but I didn't feel I had done much since I'd only worked the one scene. I don't consider myself a hero because I did what any other officer would have done. I've always seen myself as a helper, and I was glad I was there to help this person. The credit goes to everyone involved in the situation that evening.
Michelle, what attracted you to law enforcement and what type of training did you receive?
I had been a professional photographer for 16 years when my 23-year-old cousin was murdered as part of witness elimination. This was a turning point in my life, so I searched for a career where I could make a difference. I graduated from the Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy's 22-week training program in December 2008. After I passed my certification test, I spent three months with another officer in field training then started my rotations through three months of shift changes. The bridge incident happened my first night on midnight shift.
If you could offer our readers a take-away message, what would it be?
Mike: There's help available. We've all experienced levels of despair that were unbearable. Sometimes this despair can cause a person to take desperate measures to deal with their pain. There are organizations out there, such as Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, ready to help. Life is valuable. Please get help.
Michelle: I agree with Lieutenant Warner and understand better than ever that teamwork is critical in situations like this. Also, Roanoke County really cares about its citizens. We brought all available resources to bear on the bridge that night. It was a long five hours, but we'd all do it again. It's that important.
Postlude
How are police personnel trained to handle situations such as this as well as their day-to-day duties?
Since its establishment as a branch of the Police Department in September 2007, the Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy has been committed to training law enforcement personnel to meet the public safety needs of Roanoke County citizens. The academy prides itself on providing innovative training methods to produce qualified, professional, and competent criminal justice practitioners. Law enforcement officers receive 22 weeks of training during which they are evaluated on a variety of performance objectives in both written and practical modules. Law enforcement training concludes with a Certification Exam, which is administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. Once certified, officers are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of in-service training every two years.
During basic training, recruits receive instruction on the broad aspects related to the psychological and physiological impairments that may contribute to personal crisis. Recruits are challenged to develop skills through role playing scenarios and learn how to effectively communicate with individuals in crisis. In addition, the department works with local mental health practitioners to provide a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training program. This training is offered on a regular basis to sworn staff to build their knowledge base and further enhance their communication skills. Some officers have supplemented this 40- hour course with additional training in hostage negotiations. |
