Suicide Cop

There’s a man by the name of Kevin Briggs who is known as, “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge.” He’s a sergeant with the CA Highway Patrol (CHP).

He has stopped over 200 souls from taking the suicidal plunge into San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. This man has single handedly changed the outcome of lives for so many families.

Over 1,600 people have jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge since it was built in 1937. The drop is over 200 feet to the ocean below. A very few fortunate jumpers have survived the leap, only to come out of it with lifelong disabilities and other nasty complications.

Briggs said, “(He) would approach slowly, raise a hand and ask how the person is feeling. Then he would ask what their plans are for the next day.

The Sergeant tripped into his role as a suicide preventionist. He was called to the scene of an attempted jumper over 25 years ago. He was nervous. He didn’t know what he was doing. But, he somehow managed to convince a woman that ‘tomorrow does come after the dark.’

By the end of this year, a plan and budget has been set in motion that would place a netting underneath the bridge in an attempt to save lives. The people who find themselves on the bridge, and others contemplating suicide are generally depressed, desperate, and how they see it… out of options. Most, if not all have some sort of mental illness. They have stopped taking their medication, stopped seeing their therapists, and have rarely opened up to family and friends about how they are feeling.

I know this because I too attempted suicide. I didn’t try jumping off a bridge… that’s too messy for me. Instead, I attempted to swallow a BUNCH of pills, down a fifth of vodka, and drink 8 ounces of bleach. Yes, b.l.e.a.c.h., you read that right. I was so desperate that for some twisted reason I thought the stuff my wife used to get my whites really white would be a good way to go out. It wasn’t. It tasted like sh*t. It burned my throat and made my puke. Luckily, I had no long term damage from it or the pills. I was sent to a psych ward for 30 days. I was put in a padded room. I was roomed with a one armed veteran with schizophrenia. It was no fun. But it was a learning experience.

Sergeant Briggs has since retired from the CHP and now goes around the country speaking about not only his experiences with suicide, but also ways that mental illness plays a big part in suicidal tendencies.

I too have tried to become an advocate for mental illness. I have suffered from bipolar disorder since April 3, 2006, the day of my attempt.

I found that writing is a good way for me to process my thoughts and emotions (Vocal is a great vehicle for that). I’ve tried writing books, essays, and even poems. They all sucked. However, one day I Googled, “how to write a screenplay.” Everything changed after that.

I wrote a short 25 minute screenplay which I turned into a film. I spent $10,000 to produce & direct it. I found professional actors and got all the necessary permits to film at various locations in my hometown of Newport Beach, CA.

The film is called, POLES: A BIPOLAR STORY.

The end result was amazing. Directing the actor who played me, allowed me to understand how my emotions, racing thoughts, depression, breathing, and words affect my disorder.

If you would like to watch the YouTube film, click on the link below. It’s only 25 minutes long. If you or someone you know suffers from bipolar disorder, it’s a great learning tool on what we go through everyday battling this monster in our head.

https://youtu.be/9sRJYRyFars

End.