According to an article published in May 25, 2016: More than 30 people have jumped to their deaths in the last 15 years.(http://www.wisn.com/article/could-barriers-stop-suicides-on-milwaukee-s-hoan-bridge/6332793). There are no official statistics for 2017, the year isn't even over. There have been numerous media reports on persons attempting or contemplating jumping from this bridge. One wonders 'how many also have not been made known to the public'. In recent years, Milwaukee officials and departments have considered and abandoned interventions for suicide at the Hoan Bridge. Milwaukee should again examine what options are available. Interventions can be low cost, such as a sign with a crisis line number. If not for advocacy, we can also consider the time and cost our police are absorbing when a sign may prevent those calls. Saving lives is the job of our officials - and our own personal responsibility - especially when our population has one of the highest rates of mental health illness.

2017 dates of police encounters on the bridge according to media reports:

April 25, 2017: off-duty fireman and FBI agent, police intervention

June 2, 2017: completed suicide

August 31, 2017: Samaritan intervention

*September 18th, 2017, 7:30am: off-duty police intervention

*September 18th, 2017, 2:30pm: (separate incident) police intervention

November 29, 2017: police intervened