Police convince man not to jump off overpass

A man was ready to jump off the railroad overpass crossing Ind. 37 between Ind. 45 and Ind. 48 Thursday, police said, but an officer talked him off the ledge to safety.\nThe process blocked north and southbound traffic on Ind. 37 for more than 20 minutes, said Bloomington Police Department Detective Sgt. David Drake.\nAt 10:25 a.m., a motorist called 911 to report a man walking around and waving his arms on the overpass, Drake said, reading from a police report.\nOfficer Brian James arrived first on the scene, got on the overpass and tried to talk to the man, while other officers blocked traffic on the highway below, Drake said. \nAt first, the man, 41, did not respond to James, but the officer eventually got him to talk. The man told James he wanted to jump and didn't want to live anymore, Drake said.\nJames said he was concerned several times the man would jump, but after about 15 minutes he convinced the man away from the ledge, the report said.\nDrake said the man was taken to Bloomington Hospital for a mental health evaluation, and no criminal charges were filed.\nThough the Bloomington Police Department does have specially trained negotiators, James is not one of them. He had no more training than that which officers receive at the police academy in dealing with emotionally disturbed people, Drake said.