Two Ithaca police officers are being recognized for saving people during a mental health crisis. A luncheon was held Monday to recognize officers Jaime Buffone and Jolene Betts.
Both police officers responded to incidents last week where one person threatened to jump from a bridge and another from a parking garage. Both Buffone and Betts were able to talk them out of it and get them into facilities to receive mental health treatment.
“I just created a rapport with him and spoke with him and I offered up friendship and companionship and just let him know that everything was going to be OK,” said Betts.
“It was just showing them, even though I was in uniform as they had a distrust for the police, that I’m a human being, too. So I shared some life experiences with them, tried to build that rapport, so that they could trust me and have faith that what I was telling them was true,” said Buffone.
If anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
