On February 15, 2021, at about 5:19 PM, a person called the Oakland Police Department (OPD) Communication Division to report a person sitting on the ledge of a 10-story parking garage rocking back and forth. Upon arrival, officers found an individual with half their body hanging over the ledge of the structure in 200 block of 23rd Street.
Thankfully, one of the responding officers is a member of OPD’s Tactical Negotiations Team (TNT) and Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT). The officers quickly made their way to the visibly distressed individual. The person told the officers they felt like they had to jump off the building. At times the person would sway their body as if they were going to fall from the ledge. However, after patiently talking to the individual for an hour, the officers convinced the person to return to safety. The individual then hugged the officer.
Chief LeRonne L. Armstrong says, “The opportunity to take life-saving actions is the most significant call for our responding officers. We are trained for those moments and the exceptional actions of these officers show the Department’s commitment to the preservation of life, that is our most important mission.”
All interactions by a member of the Oakland Police Department is an opportunity to build trust and legitimacy with our community. We thank our officers for their courageous efforts to save the life of a community member.