Positivity: Just doing his job — Officer with LPD intervenes to stop teenage girl from jumping off overpass
Sunday, November 25, 2007
n the bright sunshine of the day, Lufkin can seem like a beautiful, friendly town with little or nothing to fear, but not many know what goes on after dark when most families are safe inside the warmth of their homes.
Lufkin police officers, however, have seen the darker side of Lufkin and do their best to fight it, but sometimes what they’re fighting is not a physical enemy but inner demons. One Lufkin officer recently found himself in that situation when he was engaged in a fight to save the life of a teenage girl.
Lufkin police officer Kevin Jackson responded to the call concerning a 15-year-old girl walking along the U.S. 59 North overpass that night with the intent of checking up on her and making sure she was OK. Jackson didn’t realize what seemed like an ordinary late-night call would quickly turn into a life-threatening situation.
While patrolling Winston Park, a call from a concerned citizen came in over the radio and Jackson headed out to talk to the girl. After parking and turning on his flashers he began to approach her, but realized the frightened girl planned on jumping off the overpass when she warned him not to come any closer.
Remaining at least six feet away from the girl, Jackson began to talk with her, trying to coax her away from the overpass and calm her down. Although all police officers receive brief training on what to do in situations of this kind, normally officers are only expected to use this training until a negotiator who is trained in how to handle possible suicide threats can be located and arrive on scene.
This particular night, however, Jackson was left alone with the girl for half an hour while the police department attempted to locate someone trained for this type of situation. By the time one was located and sent out, it was too late and Jackson was forced into action.
When the girl began climbing over the wall Jackson knew he couldn’t stand by and wait any longer.
“I was over there and had her in my arms before I even knew what was happening,” Jackson said. …..
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