Report Crime Anonymously

Man Climbs Tower and Threatens to Jump

02/06/2008

Greenfield Police Department crisis negotiators successfully averted a tragedy Thursday night when they were able to convince a suicidal man to climb down from an electrical tower he was threatening to jump from.

At 6:25 PM, Thursday, February 5^th, Greenfield officers responded to a report of a suicidal person who was threatening to jump from a tower near South 88^th Street and West Waterford Avenue. The man was screaming that he was going to jump and several residents in the area heard him and contacted the department.

When the officers arrived, they saw a 26 year old Greenfield man climbing an ATC (American Transmission Company) high-voltage transmission tower.  The man ignored their commands to come down and said he was going to jump.

Members of the department’s crisis negotiation team responded and were able to establish contact with the man via cell phone.  By this time, the man had climbed to a height of over 100 feet and crawled out onto the structure supporting the high-voltage lines. 

Greenfield Fire Department and WeEnergies personnel stood by while negotiators talked to the man.  WeEnergies officials informed the negotiators that the man was in danger of electrocuting himself and causing a power outage if he were to have made contact with the high-voltage lines.

“We were lucky he had a cell phone,” said Sergeant Sean Licht who coordinates the crisis negotiation team.  “It would have complicated things immensely if we were to have had to try to talk to him using a bull horn and it would have been impossible to get someone anywhere near him to talk.”  Licht said at one point the man had crawled out to the end of one of the cross-beams holding the high-voltage lines and hung up on the negotiators. “That was the point where we really feared he was going to jump,” Licht said. 

At 7:30PM, negotiators convinced the man to climb down and turn himself in to waiting officers.   As he climbed down, police were concerned that the man, who was not dressed for the weather, would not be able to climb down the metal tower.  “I’m not sure how he was able to do it,” Licht said.

When the man reached the ground, he was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital where he was treated for hypothermia.  He was later taken to Milwaukee County Mental Health.