Video: Bridgeport, Department of Natural Resources Officers Awarded for Saving a Life
By Julie Perine on November 16, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
At Monday night's Bridgeport City Council meeting, Police Chief John Walker recognized three members of Bridgeport Police Department, along with Department of Natural Resources Officer Ben Riley, for a lifesaving incident which took place July 18 on the Lodgeville Road Bridge.
Though not in attendance, Harrison County Process Server Maria Watson-Bourgeois was also recognized.
Walker explained the July 18 incident behind the awards.
“Officers Rutherford, Janssen and Hammond were dispatched to Lodgeville Road Bridge after a report of a young male, who was distraught and contemplating suicide. Upon arrival, they found a young male sitting at the edge of the bridge, his legs dangling over the edge and stating he was going to jump,” Walker said. “Maria Watson-Bourgeois, who is a Harrison County process server, was going by and stopped. Upon the officers’ arrival, she had started negotiations and communication with the individual, trying to calm him down and reverse his thought process. Once the officers arrived, Officer Hammond – who is a trained negotiator with our police department – immediately went into dialog with this individual. While Officer Hammond continued negotiations with the individual, Officers Rutherford, Janssen and Hammond were strategizing how to save the individual from jumping off the bridge should negotiations fail. After a few minutes, it became obvious that the situation was deteriorating as the individual became distressed, moving his hands from a reverse holding on position to a forward pushing off position. Realizing the escalating emergency of the situation, the officers moved into a position to take control of the young male from pushing off the bridge which would have likely led to his death. Being distracted by Officer Hammond’s attempt to communicate with him, Officers Rutherford, Janssen and Hammond successfully grabbed the male and pulled him off the edge of the bridge and back on the pavement of the bridge, at which time they notified Bridgeport Fire/EMS who responded and transported the individual to the hospital.”
Though Monday was the first time the life-saving award had been presented, it is not the first time a Bridgeport police officer has saved a life. Moving forward, Walker said he hopes to make up for that.
See video of the presentation below. Read the coverage of the entire Bridgeport City Council meeting HERE.
