If not for the pane of glass between them, it would have been a hug.
Officer Isaiah McNamee, standing on the rooftop ledge of the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Iowa City, held onto the man to keep him from falling. The man had climbed over the glass barrier and considered jumping. After speaking with McNamee, the man changed his mind and wanted to get to safety, but it wasn’t easy 12 stories in the air.
“I could see how well he spoke to the man, how understanding he was, how kind he was, how brave he was,” Iowa City Police Officer Mike Harkrider said of McNamee. “I was in awe.”
Iowa City last week recognized the officers for their “compassion, professionalism and quick actions” in saving the man’s life. McNamee received the Commendation of Distinguished Service and Officer Harkrider the Certificate of Special Commendation.
“There are a lot of people in modern society, ourselves included, who deal with a lot of trauma,” McNamee, 27, said in an interview Wednesday. After six years with the Iowa City Police Department, McNamee will start Monday with the Waukee Police Department.
Police, especially in Iowa City, are trained how to recognize when people are experiencing a mental health crisis or other trauma and how to de-escalate that situation, often without arrest, said Harkrider, 40, who has been with the ICPD for 11 years.
The call came in about a suicidal subject around 5 p.m. May 23, Harkrider said.
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Staff at the Vue restaurant on the top floor of the hotel reported the man had come up the elevator, walked across the restaurant to the patio, where he climbed over an armpit-high glass barrier on the northwest side of the building.
McNamee, who arrived a minute before Harkrider, went up to the top floor and asked the man if he could get a little closer. The officer went onto the ledge, but did not climb over the glass barrier.
“I don’t want to rush up there and grab onto someone,” he said. “That might startle someone and cause him to slip.”
McNamee had talked with the man before in a past crisis, the officer said. He asked the man what was going on and how he was feeling. “It’s having empathy and trying to put yourself in their shoes,” McNamee said. “It doesn’t have to be talking someone off a ledge. Sometimes someone’s moment of crisis can be small.”
Within a few minutes it became clear the man didn’t want to end his life, but didn’t know how to get back over the glass wall, which was higher from the outside ledge. McNamee, who is 6 feet 4 inches, reached over the barrier, his arms extending to hold the man to the glass until help could arrive.
Harkrider had coordinated with other police officers to block traffic in the area and the Iowa City Fire Department and Johnson County Ambulance Service had arrived to help.
First the fire department raised the ladder on their truck, but the basket didn’t go high enough, Harkrider said. Then they brought up a Little Giant ladder, which allows for one end to be longer than the other. Firefighters extended the longer end over the glass barrier and harnessed the man to protect him as he climbed to safety.
“You could feel the collective weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders as they got him back over,” Harkrider said.
The whole incident took about 30 minutes, but it seemed much longer to both officers, they said.
Harkrider, who is on Iowa City’s crisis negotiation team and served as a suicide prevention officer in the Naval Reserve before becoming a police officer, said he’s been in numerous situations with people contemplating dying by suicide. Once, there were two incidents in one day in Iowa City.
“I’ve been part of incidents with individuals on top of ramps or bridges or buildings that were ready to do something like this,” he said. “I’ve seen what happens to someone when they make the decision to do something like this. It’s a disturbing thing to see.”
Officers are trained in active listening and will ask for more information.
“I’ll tell them I’m not the No. 1 person who can help them, but I can help get them to that person,” he said. Most of the incidents Harkrider has handled have ended with the person deciding not to jump.
Harkrider and McNamee were honored to be commended for their actions May 23 and invited family members to the ceremony. It made Harkrider think of all the other officers deserving of such an award. “It was a good reminder of the dedication and bravery of all the officers I work with who go out and do brave things each and every shift.”
If you or someone you love is in immediate crisis or having suicidal thoughts, call or text 9-8-8 anytime, day or night. You also can chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, 24/7.
www.thegazette.com
Officer Isaiah McNamee, standing on the rooftop ledge of the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Iowa City, held onto the man to keep him from falling. The man had climbed over the glass barrier and considered jumping. After speaking with McNamee, the man changed his mind and wanted to get to safety, but it wasn’t easy 12 stories in the air.
“I could see how well he spoke to the man, how understanding he was, how kind he was, how brave he was,” Iowa City Police Officer Mike Harkrider said of McNamee. “I was in awe.”
Iowa City last week recognized the officers for their “compassion, professionalism and quick actions” in saving the man’s life. McNamee received the Commendation of Distinguished Service and Officer Harkrider the Certificate of Special Commendation.
“There are a lot of people in modern society, ourselves included, who deal with a lot of trauma,” McNamee, 27, said in an interview Wednesday. After six years with the Iowa City Police Department, McNamee will start Monday with the Waukee Police Department.
Police, especially in Iowa City, are trained how to recognize when people are experiencing a mental health crisis or other trauma and how to de-escalate that situation, often without arrest, said Harkrider, 40, who has been with the ICPD for 11 years.
The call came in about a suicidal subject around 5 p.m. May 23, Harkrider said.
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Staff at the Vue restaurant on the top floor of the hotel reported the man had come up the elevator, walked across the restaurant to the patio, where he climbed over an armpit-high glass barrier on the northwest side of the building.
McNamee, who arrived a minute before Harkrider, went up to the top floor and asked the man if he could get a little closer. The officer went onto the ledge, but did not climb over the glass barrier.
“I don’t want to rush up there and grab onto someone,” he said. “That might startle someone and cause him to slip.”
McNamee had talked with the man before in a past crisis, the officer said. He asked the man what was going on and how he was feeling. “It’s having empathy and trying to put yourself in their shoes,” McNamee said. “It doesn’t have to be talking someone off a ledge. Sometimes someone’s moment of crisis can be small.”
Within a few minutes it became clear the man didn’t want to end his life, but didn’t know how to get back over the glass wall, which was higher from the outside ledge. McNamee, who is 6 feet 4 inches, reached over the barrier, his arms extending to hold the man to the glass until help could arrive.
Harkrider had coordinated with other police officers to block traffic in the area and the Iowa City Fire Department and Johnson County Ambulance Service had arrived to help.
First the fire department raised the ladder on their truck, but the basket didn’t go high enough, Harkrider said. Then they brought up a Little Giant ladder, which allows for one end to be longer than the other. Firefighters extended the longer end over the glass barrier and harnessed the man to protect him as he climbed to safety.
“You could feel the collective weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders as they got him back over,” Harkrider said.
The whole incident took about 30 minutes, but it seemed much longer to both officers, they said.
Harkrider, who is on Iowa City’s crisis negotiation team and served as a suicide prevention officer in the Naval Reserve before becoming a police officer, said he’s been in numerous situations with people contemplating dying by suicide. Once, there were two incidents in one day in Iowa City.
“I’ve been part of incidents with individuals on top of ramps or bridges or buildings that were ready to do something like this,” he said. “I’ve seen what happens to someone when they make the decision to do something like this. It’s a disturbing thing to see.”
Officers are trained in active listening and will ask for more information.
“I’ll tell them I’m not the No. 1 person who can help them, but I can help get them to that person,” he said. Most of the incidents Harkrider has handled have ended with the person deciding not to jump.
Harkrider and McNamee were honored to be commended for their actions May 23 and invited family members to the ceremony. It made Harkrider think of all the other officers deserving of such an award. “It was a good reminder of the dedication and bravery of all the officers I work with who go out and do brave things each and every shift.”
If you or someone you love is in immediate crisis or having suicidal thoughts, call or text 9-8-8 anytime, day or night. You also can chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, 24/7.
Iowa City officers honored for rooftop rescue
Officer Isaiah McNamee, standing on the rooftop ledge of the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Iowa City, held onto the man to keep him from falling. The man had climbed over the glass barrier and considered jumping. After speaking with McNamee, the man changed his mind and wanted to get to safety...
www.thegazette.com
