Officer

California Highway Patrol

3/18/2006

Special Act Award (Gold)

On March 18, 2006, at approximately 6:00 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff Tempest was working traffic enforcement in the Redding Area when he responded to a call of a person straddling the bridge rail of State Route 151, over Interstate 5. Upon arrival, he immediately realized the severity of the situation. The despondent man tossed his cell phone to Officer Tempest and asked him to tell his girl friend who was on the line “sorry she couldn’t be with him.” The man slid to the outside ledge of the bridge over I-5. Hanging onto the metal rail, he ordered Officer Tempest to back away as he began to count to ten. Officer Tempest inched toward the dangling man who threatened to let go if he didn’t back away. At the count of five, the man released one hand from the bridge railing. When he reached the count of ten, Officer Tempest lunged forward over the bridge rail grabbing him under his shoulder with one hand and the man’s belt with the other. Officer Tempest’s upper body was hanging over the edge of the bridge, anchored only by his legs and the bridge rail. The dangling man released his remaining hand from the bridge railing, forcing Officer Tempest to support the man’s entire 185 pound body weight. Officer Tempest managed to hoist the man to safety, saving him from serious injury or death, and placed him in protective custody.