Kevin Briggs is a former California highway patrol officer who has stopped more than 200 people from committing suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Before his career as a patrol officer, Kevin Briggs served in the United States Army for three years, starting in 1981. After his military service, he worked as a correctional officer at Soledad and San Quentin prisons from 1987.
He graduated from the California Highway Patrol Academy in 1990. His journey to becoming the ‘Guardian of the Golden Gate’ began in 1994 when he started patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge.
When Briggs finds a suicidal individual, he usually starts a conversation with them by asking how they are doing, then asking their plans for the following day.
If they did not have plans for the next day, he attempts to make plans with them, inviting them to come back to the bridge if their plan did not work out at the end of the day.
The image below is from 2005 when Briggs spent 60 minutes convincing Kevin Berthia to climb back over a rail on the bridge. Berthia went on to marry and have multiple children.
In May 2013, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recognized the California Highway Patrol with a public service award in suicide prevention.
Briggs accepted the award on behalf of the California Highway Patrol. Later that year, he retired from the California Highway Patrol to focus his efforts on suicide prevention.
Post-retirement, Briggs authored a book titled ‘Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair’. Published in 2015, the book provides a deeper insight into his experiences and the lives he touched during his service. It serves as a beacon of hope, shedding light on the importance of mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
Briggs has earned the nickname ‘Guardian of the Golden Gate’ for having saved the lives of over 200 people.
Src: Morbidful
