'We Care About You'; Man Talked Off Ledge At Dunn Loring Parking Garage

DUNN LORING, VA — A man contemplating jumping off a parking garage was saved by a team with a simple message: "We care about you."

During responses to people experiencing a mental health crisis, a crisis intervention specialist goes along with the police department's Crisis Intervention Team officers. That co-responder program resulted in a life saved in the Dunn Loring Metro area.

The team was sent June 6 to a parking garage in the 2600 block of Park Tower Drive, which is next to Interstate 66 near the Dunn Loring Metro. Officers found a man who was sitting on the edge of the top deck of the parking garage and was considering suicide.

A video with the man's identity blurred out shows how the co-responder team talked him off the ledge. The officer trained in crisis intervention explained to the man that Fairfax County has good resources to get help for mental health.

"We are here because we care about you," the officer told the man. "That's why both of us are here, and we understand you are going through a lot right now."

As the officer tries to convince the man to come down from the ledge, he added, "You are important to a lot of people. It might not seem like it right now, but you are."

In the video, a clinician goes to the scene with the co-response unit and talks with the man.

The video concludes with the officer offering his hand to help the man down. The man takes it.

Following the response, the man received treatment.

According to police, the response is one example of the co-responder program's success. Police officers on the Crisis Intervention Team ride in their police cruisers with a Community Services Board crisis intervention specialist and respond to behavioral health calls.

These calls typically involve people experiencing emotional distress that could be the result of mental health, substance usage, developmental disabilities, or other concerns. Police officers contribute to responses when criminal violations are involved, while the presence of co-responders can prevent arrests, incarcerations and hospitalizations in some cases.

The Fairfax County Police Department has three co-responder teams and is adding a fourth this fall. The teams operate between noon and midnight based on the peak volume of mental health calls.

According to the police department, 838 of its officers have completed Integrating Communications Assessment and Tactics training, which involves using de-escalation strategies in critical situations. The rest of the police department is expected to complete training in September.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, help is available. Contact the Community Services Board Emergency Services at 703-573-5679, connect with PRS CrisisLink by calling 703-527-4077 or texting CONNECT to 855-11. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.