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Watching The Cops Title: Officer saves man who tried hanging himself Morganfield Police Officer, Eric McCallister, walked into his job at the Morganfield Police Department like any other day on Saturday morning, November 25. McCallister was in the middle of being briefed by the third shift officer when a call came in over the radio. There was a suicidal subject in Whispering Meadows. The location of this call would normally be handled only by the sheriff's office since it is outside the jurisdiction for the police department, but there is certain criteria that can be met for a police officer to go out of jurisdiction. Since the call was over a suicidal subject, the protocol is to have two officers to back each other up in case there is a firearm or the subject is violent. When McCallister made it to the scene, he saw the Deputy Lee Chandler's truck in front of the trailer but not the deputy. Dispatch told Chandler that the subject would be in the backyard, but the reception was lost inside the trailer. The radio was not receiving the information properly. Officer McCallister had no idea of knowing if Chandler had received this information but upon hearing yelling from the backyard, he proceeded to go around the house. When he reached the back, he saw one man trying to help another man who was hanging from a tree branch by his neck. The resident was having trouble helping the subject and ran off to find something to use to cut him down. The subject was still hanging with two ratchet straps wrapped around his neck. Looking at the subject, McCallister knew the man didn't have much more time. He had a very faint pulse with purple lips and his face was turning blue. Acting fast, McCallister got underneath the man to pick him up to take the tension of the strap off his neck. Pushing a finger between the strap and his neck, McCallister was able to pull the first strap loose and then proceeded to do the same with the second strap. Once the straps were off, the men were able to bring the subject to the ground where he was stabilized. Both the resident and the subject were clearly upset over the whole situation, and the subject had serious pain in his neck. McCallister later found out that the subject was an Indiana resident staying with family in Whispering Meadows. He had been having family issues back home that led him to deciding to end his life. Walking away from a situation like that, McCallister could be considered a hero but he would describe it as just part of the job. "You go to something like that, and then two hours later you could be watching a little kid's basketball game," said McCallister. "We transition into so many different roles. That's what people sometimes don't understand. You might have ran a stop sign at the end of the bypass, and we pull you over. It might seem like that cop is acting like a jerk, but you have no idea what he did just ten minutes ago." Starting his shift with a suicide attempt is no easy task as McCallister had to work 8 more hours with that situation on his mind. "I had a brother that died at a young age," said McCallister. "So if I can give anybody else a chance to have that moment with their family member, even if it's just one more time, it makes me feel good. Part of the job is helping people. We love it - we love to help people." McCallister pointed out that there are many cases of suicide attempts in the county, and more often than not, they turn out for the worst. "I've been a cop for 5 years, and I've seen a lot more go bad than good," said McCallister. "It's one of those things you never forget seeing." Saving a life is an incredible accomplishment, but McCallister made sure we knew it wasn't just him but a team of Union County emergency management (police, sheriffs, EMS, fire department, dispatch, etc.) that helped that man that day. Police Chief Geoff Deibler had only great things to say about Officer McCallister. "In my opinion, he's one of the best cops in the county," said Deibler. "I could talk all day about how dedicated he is. There has never been a time where I called him and needed something (as a friend or a cop), that he has told me no. There's some spots that I have put him in that were probably tough for him, but he's always managed to figure out the best option. He would be able to pick up the reigns for me any day of the week and continue to make this department the best it has ever been." Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 2.
#1. To: Gatlin (#0)
Well, at least the cop didn't shoot him as in so many cases where a citizen is depressed and suicidal and the cops fail to help and instead end up killing the person.
Typical unintelligent gutter trash comment….nothing else can be expected from you. You cop hating asshole ...
#3. To: Gatlin (#2)
Hey - I gave the officer his props. Good job dude. Now take some money out of petty cash for a dozen donuts.
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