Greenville police Officer Caitlyn Holder helped bring a suicidal man to safety last Wednesday afternoon after he climbed onto the South Academy Street Bridge, ending a tense scene above one of downtown's busiest recreational corridors. Holder was near the bridge around 4 p.m. when a bystander alerted her that a man appeared ready to jump.
According to WYFF, dispatch diverted traffic as Holder responded. She climbed onto the bridge and, with fellow officers and passersby, stayed with the man as he discussed his suicidal thoughts. He eventually returned to the bridge's safe side and was taken to a hospital for assistance.
“He was strong enough to ask for help,” Holder said, according to WYFF.
A Bridge Over a Popular Downtown Trail
The area around the bridge includes Falls Park on the Reedy, while the Swamp Rabbit Trail carries foot and bicycle traffic between Unity Park and Falls Park. The high visibility of the location helps explain how a bystander was able to spot the man and alert Holder so quickly.
What Happens After a Crisis Call?
South Carolina's public behavioral-health system includes a statewide option for people experiencing a nonfatal suicide crisis. The South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities says its Mental Health Mobile Crisis clinicians provide community-based crisis response anywhere in the state 24/7/365 and can work with law enforcement when appropriate, according to the department. That service can be a behavioral-health partner when police respond to a crisis, including one that ends with transport for medical care.
Training Rooted in a 2010 Tragedy
Holder's response came during a crisis in which officers worked to bring the man to safety. Every Greenville Police Department officer completes 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Training, according to the City of Greenville's official website. The department built that training program in 2010, after a 39-year-old man with schizophrenia died in police custody following a struggle with responding officers, as reported by The Post and Courier.
Greenville-area agencies have also leaned on outside partners to keep first responders prepared for these calls. Upstate Warrior Solution has worked with the Greenville Police Department and the Sheriff's Office to provide peer-support and crisis training aimed at helping officers manage the operational stress of these encounters, according to the Greenville Journal.
Public mental health spending has not kept pace. South Carolina spent $120 per capita on public mental health services in fiscal year 2024, roughly 20% below the $150 national average, according to Carolina News and Reporter. That gap leaves patrol officers like Holder as frequent first responders to the kind of crisis that unfolded on the bridge last week.
The national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and reachable by call, text, or online chat. September marks Suicide Prevention Month, and Holder said simply that she wanted to help people — the same instinct that put her on the bridge railing last Wednesday.
