UPDATE 1:52 PM: The Tompkins County Mobile Crisis Team is “not trained” to deal with today’s potential jumper scenario and will update their website to reflect situations to which they do and do not respond.
Members of the Ithaca Police Department talked a suicidal man off of the eighth floor Green Street parking Garage late Wednesday morning, with the Tompkins County Mobile Crisis Team “refusing to go” to the scene.
The Tompkins County Critical Incident Team (CINT) responded to the scene and was able to successfully deescalate the situation.
A 14850.com story about the incident states “IPD first reached out to Tompkins County’s mobile crisis team, but when they were unable to respond, activated its own Crisis Negotiation Team.”
It is unclear if the Mobile Crisis Team was available and refused to respond to the scene or refused to respond to the scene because they were unavailable. A call to the Tompkins County Mental Health Services Administration seeking clarification was rebuffed.
“That’s not something we can answer. We are sorry.”
This story will be updated.