The man’s face is blurred out, though the department did not seek his permission before posting the video. In Oklahoma City, the overpass video posted to the police department’s Facebook page in May includes body-cam footage and interviews with responding officers. “Remember, you are never alone and there is always help.” “Great teamwork resulted in her receiving the help she needed,” the LAPD’s posts said, with a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s website. The scene is fraught with tension – rushing wind, the woman’s panicked breathing, the squawking of the radios echoing off the bridge’s metal, the clicking of handcuffs. In the 55-second video – posted to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram less than a month after the incident – police were called to the bridge in San Pedro after the woman was seen climbing over the side. The agency said it strives to protect the individual’s identity but does not typically seek permission beforehand. The LAPD declined to comment, but said in a statement that it does not have a specific policy in these cases. “Here’s a spot on the bridge where it literally took like six uniformed police officers to drag this person back over the side,” said Jonathan Singer, president of the American Association of Suicidology. #SUICIDE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE 2021 MANUAL#Some experts fear copycats, saying such detailed posts – like the recent Los Angeles Police Department posts with body-cam footage of the woman's suicide attempt on the bridge – basically give a manual to vulnerable people. The association recommends that photos and videos from the scene also be excluded, even if the person’s identity is concealed. Yet the American Association of Suicidology specifically suggests that any reporting on suicide or suicide attempts not include the method or location. Other posts include videos from the scene. The New York Police Department, along with images of smiling cops, often tweets detailed captions that include the exact pier someone jumped from or the number of pills they swallowed before the officers “saved” them. Law enforcement agencies have long tried to showcase the harrowing and dangerous work of fighting crime and saving lives, and the feeds also include officers delivering babies, acts of kindness and shows of strength. While police say mental health is their priority, the footage appears to tell a different story. “Yes, they helped get a person down and that is commendable,” she said, but added: “I’m not seeing that this has value in helping people’s mental health.” US police departments nationwide may upload them without the permission of the person in crisis – though their identities are obscured – without a warning about contents and without consulting mental health professionals.ĭebbie Plotnick, vice president for state and federal advocacy at Mental Health America, reviewed a half-dozen from around the country. The posts are easy to find on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. “Now how is that not creating trauma for anybody else? Who else is this triggering?” “It’s like we were living in this tragedy with them,” said Kevin Berthia, a mental health advocate who has survived his own suicide attempts. The short clips were posted on official US law enforcement social media accounts, part of a longstanding practice by police agencies to showcase their lifesaving efforts online – especially in 2021 as desperation grows for positive press amid accusations of excessive force and racism following George Floyd’s murder, and rising gun violence and killings.īut with renewed attention on officer interactions with people who are suffering from mental health issues, experts and advocates are taking another look at these posts with an eye toward whether they exploit the very victims law enforcement just saved. The panicked voices of cops cry out, “We got you, we got you!” just before they pin her to the ground and pull out handcuffs. In another, a woman hangs high above the Los Angeles Harbor as a half-dozen officers drag her, head-first, up the side of the bridge. In one, a man dangles over the edge of an Oklahoma City overpass, his legs swinging in midair as police grab his arms and pull him from the brink. (Note: This story includes discussion of suicide.)
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