When a concerned woman from Texas reached out to Manhattan’s 19 Precinct regarding a friend who had expressed suicidal thoughts via social media, Officer Andreoli was there to take the call. The friend hoped that the NYPD could locate the distressed man and ensure his safety. She was particularly alarmed because she believed that he had taken pills in an attempt to end his life.
The concerned friend knew the distressed man lived in Manhattan but did not know his address or neighborhood. Using the technology available to him at the precinct, Officer Andreoli began working on locating the man.
“We only had his name and the year he was born so we had to put the pieces together to locate him,” said Officer Andreoli.
Considering this call was sparked by the distressed man’s Facebook post, Officer Andreoli scoured social media in search of pertinent information. He was able to acquire contact information for the man’s relatives, but was unable to connect with them.
Knowing that this was a time sensitive situation, Officer Andreoli immediately began using NYPD technology. With the latest technology in his hands he was able to find the man’s phone number from a previously recorded incident. After several unanswered calls to the distressed man, Officer Andreoli made contact. At first, the man denied his suicidal thoughts and attempted to mislead the officer about his location. Using the techniques he learned in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), Officer Andreoli was able to gain his trust.
“I was able to communicate with the individual more effectively because of CIT.” said Officer Andreoli
Eventually the man admitted he was in a state of crisis and voluntarily offered up his address in Upper Manhattan. Officer Andreoli immediately contacted the 30 Precinct to ensure that they went to the emotionally distressed man’s location. He was meet by the officers and taken to the hospital that day and is receiving the care he needs.
