A tragedy on the train tracks was narrowly averted at the Santa Barbara Amtrak Train Station on Tuesday thanks to the heroic efforts of a Santa Barbara Police officer and an Amtrak employee.
The unnamed police officer “was conducting an area check” at the station on January 2 at around 4:30 p.m. “when they noticed an adult female acting erratically, jumping on and off the train tracks,” police spokesperson Ethan Ragsdale shared in a statement on Thursday.
With a train fast approaching the station, the officer attempted to talk the woman off the tracks, but she reportedly lay down and refused to move. Just before the train approached, “the officer jumped onto the platform near the tracks, grabbed the female with the assistance of an Amtrak employee, and pulled her to safety,” Ragsdale said.
Concerned for the woman’s mental well-being, the officer contacted Santa Barbara Police Department’s (SBPD) Co-Response Team, which is made up of an officer and a licensed clinician specializing in responding to people in mental distress. The team arrived and placed a 5150 hold on the woman, who was transported to Cottage Hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
SBPD only recently gained the ability to issue involuntary mental-health holds, a k a 5150s, for those posing an immediate threat to themselves or others thanks to a policy change announced by Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon in November 2023. Prior to this January, city officers had to wait for county mobile crisis workers to show up to make the 5150 determination, which had been the policy for more than 20 years. The Independent reached out to Ragsdale to see if this was the first 5150 hold issued by SBPD’s Co-Response Team, but he did not respond by press time.
“Thankfully, there were no reported injuries because of the quick actions taken by the patrol officer, the Amtrak employee, and the swift arrival of the Co-Response Team,” Ragsdale said.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text TALK to 741741.