Toledo police explain de-escalation during mental health crises [Video]

TOLEDO, Ohio — Video released by Toledo police shows officers on Monday using de-escalation tactics on the Veteran’s Glass City Skyway Bridge to prevent a person from potentially taking their own life and seeking treatment instead.

The video, shows two officers responding to a suicide risk call on the bridge. In the video, they walk up to a vehicle parked in the curb lane on the bridge and see a person smoking a cigarette inside the vehicle.

“I can’t live like this,” the person tells the officers.

“Well, the first step is to let us help you by letting us get you to talk to someone. Help you deal with whatever is going on with your life,” says officer Ryan Spann.

Only minutes before, the officers had been dispatched to the bridge after passersby saw the person walking near the edge, leading people …