BREMERTON — Using a cigarette and some conversation, a Bremerton police officer dissuaded a woman poised to jump from the Warren Avenue Bridge.
Police were called at about 4 p.m. Sunday after passers-by spotted the 23-year-old woman staring down into the water, appearing to be readying to jump, said Bremerton Police Lt. Randy Plumb.
Cpl. Steven Polonsky approached the woman, who was wet and shivering, and offered her a cigarette and started talking to her. During their talk, the woman agreed to climb back to the sidewalk and be taken to Harrison Medical Center for a mental evaluation.
“The biggest thing is to slow things down, get them talking and try to establish some sort of connection,” Plumb said.
Plumb said officers receive training on how to deal with people in mental crisis, which he said helps, but he said Polonsky is personable and a good communicator.
“Maybe that was a connection she needed,” Plumb said.
