CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A moment of compassion captured in a photo has quickly spread on social media — a quiet image with a powerful message.
A reminder that behind every badge is a human being.
According to the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD), crisis calls like this one are not uncommon.
“Sometimes we’ll get call twice a month, sometimes won’t be called for four or five months,” said Captain Emily Perez with the CCPD Hostage Negotiations Department.
The photo shows a CCPD officer embracing someone in crisis — a man who was standing under a bridge, struggling with thoughts of ending his life.
Perez spoke on behalf of the two officers involved. Both chose not to appear on camera, she describes the photo as just one example of the work her team does regularly.
“That day I believe he was having issues with his girlfriend or wife and so he ended up under the bridge and he c
alled asking for help pretty much because he wanted to end his life,” she added
“Officer giving a hug was the first responder so he started report building, started talking to him, trying to help him. But then when negotiators got called in, another officer went underneath the bridge — you know, below the structure.”
These kinds of crisis calls fall under the responsibility of CCPD’s negotiation team — a unit trained to respond with empathy, patience, and specific tactical skills.
“We’ll do training with the fire department rescue team and they would train us in harness, lowering and repelling,” she said.
That kind of training, Perez says, is crucial — not just for physical access to hard-to-reach places like under bridges, but for learning how to truly connect with someone in emotional distress.
The two-man effort seen in the viral photo has been recognized and praised by the community. Perez says the team is humbled by the public response. But for them, it’s never been about attention.
“At the end of the day our goal is preservation of life and we do want to help people and give them the resources they need. They need to know that there’s hope,” she said.
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