
A quick-thinking 13-year-old girl from Metro Vancouver was able to get help this week for a woman in Ohio who was talking about suicide.
The girl texted the Metro Vancouver Transit Police when she came across a concerning YouTube video in which another young woman swallowed pills and talked about killing herself.
Transit police officers tracked down the location of the video, and found it was uploaded 4,000 kilometres away in Ohio.
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Officers contacted a local police force, and officers on the ground went to check on the woman.
“Remember, it’s okay to not be okay,” Sgt. Clint Hampton said in a video statement posted to Twitter. “If you or somebody you come across in your transit journey is struggling, text transit police at 87-77-77.”
When a 13-year-old alerted @TransitPolice to an online video of a young woman swallowing pills & referencing suicide, our investigation located her 4,000kms away in Ohio. Working with her local Police, we were able to make sure help arrived #YouAreNotAlone #MentalHealthMatters pic.twitter.com/z8WwcAWxFo
— Sgt. Clint Hampton (@SgtCHampton) January 19, 2021
Transit police’s texting service allows anyone to discretely alert officers about incidents that make them feel unsafe on the transit system.