Cities respond during trouble on bridge
By Rick Wright
Staff Writer
The South Portland Police Department has more than just vehicles to worry about on the Casco Bay Bridge.
Portland police had to deal with a 34-year-old woman who on Nov. 22 threatened to jump into the Fore River on the Portland side of the bridge. Fortunately, the woman was saved by Lt. Jim Sweatt and Sgt. John Nueslein, who restrained her on a catwalk.
South Portland Police stood by to play a supporting role and traffic was diverted for about 90 minutes while the bridge was closed in both directions.
The same woman had tried to jump off the bridge the previous night but Portland officer Joshua Wiseman grabbed her arm and both were saved from falling over the side by Sgt. Julie Grabofsky and Officer Jeff Druan, who held on to Wiseman’s gun belt.
The woman was admitted to Maine Medical Center for a psychological evaluation and released the following day. She returned to the bridge for her second suicide attempt in two days.
The South Portland Police Department had four calls for service involving this same woman this year, according to Lt. Todd Bernard. The department has received seven reports of possible jumpers on the bridge this year. All were resolved without deaths or injuries.
“We usually are out there whenever there’s a jumper on either side,” said South Portland Police Sgt. Joseph Dell’Aquila. “Whoever’s side it’s on will usually end up dealing with them.”
Dell’Aquila said South Portland does have a policy for handling situations like this.
“Usually we don’t shut down the whole bridge,” he said. “We do have a plan whereby we close one side of the bridge.”
Dell’Aquila was quick to add that the final decision about closing the entire bridge rests with the shift commander, who makes the call based on the situation.
Officers from South Portland’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) are specially trained to handle these situations, Dell’Aquila said. Team members wear special pins and are easily recognizable.
They use a number of tactics to dissuade people from jumping including offers of counseling, transportation, food, and telephone calls.
South Portland currently has 22 intervention teams. Eventually, the entire South Portland police force will be members of the team because all newly sworn officers must go through a training program conducted jointly by the police department and the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), a nonprofit organization that has a state branch based in Augusta.
Bob Tiner, director of criminal justice programs for NAMI in Maine, does most of the training for police officers. The curriculum includes role-playing exercises and lectures covering many subjects including trauma, post traumatic stress disorder, suicide prevention, risk assessment, autism and de-escalation skills.
Executive Director Carol Carothers believes this training is helpful for police officers and people in crisis.
Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.
Staff Writer
The South Portland Police Department has more than just vehicles to worry about on the Casco Bay Bridge.
Portland police had to deal with a 34-year-old woman who on Nov. 22 threatened to jump into the Fore River on the Portland side of the bridge. Fortunately, the woman was saved by Lt. Jim Sweatt and Sgt. John Nueslein, who restrained her on a catwalk.
South Portland Police stood by to play a supporting role and traffic was diverted for about 90 minutes while the bridge was closed in both directions.
The same woman had tried to jump off the bridge the previous night but Portland officer Joshua Wiseman grabbed her arm and both were saved from falling over the side by Sgt. Julie Grabofsky and Officer Jeff Druan, who held on to Wiseman’s gun belt.
The woman was admitted to Maine Medical Center for a psychological evaluation and released the following day. She returned to the bridge for her second suicide attempt in two days.
The South Portland Police Department had four calls for service involving this same woman this year, according to Lt. Todd Bernard. The department has received seven reports of possible jumpers on the bridge this year. All were resolved without deaths or injuries.
“We usually are out there whenever there’s a jumper on either side,” said South Portland Police Sgt. Joseph Dell’Aquila. “Whoever’s side it’s on will usually end up dealing with them.”
Dell’Aquila said South Portland does have a policy for handling situations like this.
“Usually we don’t shut down the whole bridge,” he said. “We do have a plan whereby we close one side of the bridge.”
Dell’Aquila was quick to add that the final decision about closing the entire bridge rests with the shift commander, who makes the call based on the situation.
Officers from South Portland’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) are specially trained to handle these situations, Dell’Aquila said. Team members wear special pins and are easily recognizable.
They use a number of tactics to dissuade people from jumping including offers of counseling, transportation, food, and telephone calls.
South Portland currently has 22 intervention teams. Eventually, the entire South Portland police force will be members of the team because all newly sworn officers must go through a training program conducted jointly by the police department and the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), a nonprofit organization that has a state branch based in Augusta.
Bob Tiner, director of criminal justice programs for NAMI in Maine, does most of the training for police officers. The curriculum includes role-playing exercises and lectures covering many subjects including trauma, post traumatic stress disorder, suicide prevention, risk assessment, autism and de-escalation skills.
Executive Director Carol Carothers believes this training is helpful for police officers and people in crisis.
Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.
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