The Dallas Police Department raised some eyebrows when it posted a video on its blog of two officers rescuing a man from a bridge overpass.
Officers Brad Uptmore and Matthew Parson responded to the report of a distraught man who was clinging to the rail of a bridge at West Northwest Highway and Harry Hines Boulevard near Dallas Love Field. At first, the officers tried talking to the man to convince him not to take his own life. He threatened several times that he was going to jump.
The police department said on its blog: "Between sobs and words, he started to converse with the officers." The man was distraught over being back on drugs after being sober.
The man, who was armed with a knife, eventually dropped his weapon over the bridge. The officers then approached the man and took him into custody. He was taken to a local hospital.
Here’s the video:
The Dallas Morning News noted that the department’s posting of the video was unusual because incidents such as this one aren’t usually publicized.
The post on the Dallas police blog, DPDbeat.com, was titled: "Officers Saved a Life: Caught on Video." The video didn’t include the man’s name and doesn’t show the man’s face.
Reaction from police
On the blog, the department said: "Officers Uptmore and Parson took heroic actions to preserve this man’s life. Such actions exemplify the professionalism and dedication to duty of law enforcement officers and are the types of actions that make our profession unique and gratifying."
On Twitter, Dallas Police Chief David Brown congratulated the officers with the hashtag #heroes.
#heroes http://t.co/RuWmp3iYNJ
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) June 26, 2014
Here's a Twitter post from a Dallas police spokesman:
Life-saving efforts of @DallasPD officers captured on video! http://t.co/hHaVTgwv7C
— Chief Max Geron (@ChiefGeron) June 25, 2014
Police pleased with its social media efforts
The department’s blog, which started as part of the department’s social media campaign, has been growing in viewers. The campaign began as an effort to better engage the community.
Since February, the blog has been viewed more than 362,000 times.
Dallas police are pleased with the community’s response to its social media efforts. At times, though, Brown’s social media presence has been scrutinized, including some controversial tweets he made several months ago about firing officers, as well as comments he made about a reporter.
