A Metro Nashville police lieutenant is being credited with saving a man’s life after a tense standoff on a bridge above the Cumberland River turned into one of the most meaningful conversations of his career. Lieutenant Mike Hotz has spent 16 years in law enforcement, much of it focused on helping people through crisis, but what happened on the Victory Memorial Bridge last month stands out even among that record.
On July 23, a man was livestreaming online and saying he planned to jump from the bridge. Hotz, who has served on Metro’s crisis negotiation team, responded to the scene, reported News Channel 5. Rather than approaching with urgency or force, he said he made a point of simply talking, telling the man he wanted to help him work through what he called the worst day of his life.
As a combat veteran himself, Hotz said he recognized something familiar in the man’s pain. He talked about having gone through similar conversations with fellow service members overseas who were struggling with suicidal thoughts. That shared understanding, he said, helped build trust as the two talked and the distance between them slowly closed…