Broward County, Florida – First responders deal with life-or-death situations almost every day.
As research shows mental health crises are on the rise, law enforcement officers are increasingly having to make split-second decisions to help others.
Local 10 News spoke exclusively with Deputy Sheriff Broward, who was recently recognized for saving two people who said they wanted to take their own lives.
Lieutenant Commander Jarrod Walker, a veteran of eight years in the military, remembers a phone call one night in October saying a teenager was using social media to threaten him.
“He was on TikTok and was essentially threatening to end his life,” Walker said.
Walker said he started driving around Deerfield Beach looking for the boy.
I didn’t meet him at first. Continued driving through the area. Went to check out another area. He had a gut feeling that he wanted to come back,” recalls Walker.
The teenager was hit by a car and started walking against traffic on the 48th Street Bridge in Deerfield Beach, just above Interstate 95. Body-worn camera video shows Walker quickly approaching his teenage years, talking to him before backup arrives.
“Put your skateboard down, put your skateboard down,” I heard him say. “I’m not going to lie to you. I just want to help you.”
Walker and another deputy who arrived at the scene grabbed the boy before he began charging towards the side of the bridge.
“I think the mental health crisis is definitely on the rise,” Walker said. “They want or need help. That’s what we’re here to do for them.”
After two years of decline, the suicide rate will rise again in 2021, returning to near-record levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Walker and other deputies saved a woman who was threatening her on a private property in Deerfield Beach, claiming she wanted “suicide by cop”.
“It’s all based on training and it’s a split second decision,” said Walker. “You have to treat everyone like a human being. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they did to you or what they did to anyone else. You still Someone has to be respected.”
Here is Walker’s message to those in need or concerned families: Call us if you see anything on social media. We can go out and respond and get the help they need. ”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 800-273-8255 or by calling or texting 988.
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