For more than an hour yesterday, Seattle Police Crisis and Hostage Negotiation team members and Washington State Patrol troopers took their time working with an individual in crisis on the Ship Canal Bridge.
For Sgt. David Sullivan, the chilly weather, the noise of traffic, and knowledge that he was standing feet from possibly falling more than 100 feet onto the street below, wasn’t at the forefront of his mind. Instead, Sgt. Sullivan dedicated his entire focus on the man next to him.
“This is a very professional person; he is at the VP level in his organization,” Sgt. Sullivan said about the man in crisis. “He’s just suffering from a long-term behavioral health condition that he has hidden because of the stigma. It’s just really sad.”
Seattle Police were called to the bridge deck around 3:45 p.m. to help troopers with the man in crisis. Multiple lanes of the bridge were blocked for safety, and for first responders to focus on helping the man on the bridge.
Sgt. Sullivan said he talked to the man about a number of things, including him going to the new King County Crisis Center in Kirkland. The center is one of five county crisis centers scheduled to open.
Connections Kirkland opened late last summer. It offers in-patient treatment crisis stabilization solutions.
“This model is the future,” said Sgt. Sullivan who has referred two patients to the center this week alone.
“This model has worked in other parts of the country and it’s a lot more respectful of behavioral conditions than sending someone to the ER,” Sgt. Sullivan said. “They are focused on behavioral health.”
While Sgt. Sullivan dismisses the idea that he did anything differently during this incident compared to any other crisis call that he responds to, his dedication to his job hasn’t gone unnoticed. Later this month, he will be awarded the Medal of Honor from the Seattle Police Foundation. Sgt. Sullivan made local headlines in November after chasing down a man suspected of stabbing 10 people in the Chinatown International District over the course of two days.
Sgt. James Kim, who oversees SPD’s Hostage and Negotiation Team, praised Sgt. Sullivan’s work on the bridge yesterday.
“Sully did a really good job of building rapport and trust,’ said Kim said. “After he [the man in crisis] climbed over [the guardrail] I gave him a blanket to get warm and we just talked. We talked about our kids; this was somebody I could talk to. It’s hard.”
Sgt. Kim followed up to say that everyone, from the Washington Department of Transportation, to SPD, to State Patrol, reacted to the man in crisis with compassion and kindness.
In an email sent to SPD Thursday night State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said, “it goes without saying that a life no doubt was saved tonight by the great work of everyone involved, and my particular thanks to Trooper Jaramillo and SPD Sgt. Sullivan and Kim. “
“Your efforts made a difference, and I’m hopeful that [the man in crisis] gets the help he desperately needs. The public we all serve are better because of the great partnerships between the WSP and SPD leading to great outcomes like this and exceptional public servants like each of you!”
If you or a loved one are in crisis, please dial 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
