For over 23 years, California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin Briggs patrolled the famous Golden Gate Bridge day in, day out.
Even though Briggs was trained to handle traffic incidents on the bridge when he got started, he realized there was much more to the job than he’d anticipated. What he did not know at the time is that the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s most popular suicide destinations.
Rising 746 feet above the waters of San Francisco Bay, the bridge appears to beckon to troubled and clinically depressed people that have decided to end their lives. With numerous fatalities every year, it was a matter of time before Officer Briggs was called to the scene of somebody attempting to end their life.
The very first time Officer Briggs found a woman on the wrong side of the bridge’s rail was in 1994. He admits that he “did about everything wrong that you could”, as he had no suicide prevention training.
The officer soon learned what to do and what not to do when faced with a suicidal person. He says what he found out is that everyone who has reached the end of their rope truly needs someone to listen and empathize with them.
Over the next 20 years, Briggs would wind up saving the lives of more than 200 people, earning the title “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge.” Intriguingly, he says he did it all only by listening to people. One of the people he talked down is Kevin Berthia, that credits Officer Briggs and God for helping him make the decision not to end his life one day on the bridge.
Kevin climbed over the rail that day with every intention of jumping. His daughter was born prematurely, and the family had racked up $250,000 in hospital bills. Depressed and desperate, Kevin stood with his head down and threatened Officer Briggs each time he came close.
The two spent one and a half-hour discussing Kevin’s problems, with Officer Briggs contributing only some words of kindness or encouragement throughout. Kevin did most of the talking; at the end of the discussion, he made the brave decision to climb back over the railing and face his problems head-on.
Now, Kevin and Officer Briggs are friends. Kevin works as a suicide prevention specialist and motivational speaker. Also, he wrote the Afterword in Briggs’s book, “Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair.”
Since retiring from the California Highway Patrol in 2013, Officer Briggs has focused his career around suicide prevention. Now, using the tools and experiences he learned on the Golden Gate Bridge, Briggs tours the country to help others understand how and why somebody would turn to suicide as a last resort — as well as what we can do to change their minds.
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