A Marietta, Georgia, police officer and his K9 partner are being praised for helping to stop a woman from committing suicide. Marietta Police Department Officer Paul Hill and his K9 partner Barney normally work at Marietta City Elementary Schools, but with school out, they’ve been responding to help the community at large.
On June 7th, Barney and Hill responded to a call involving a woman who had locked herself in a bathroom and was threatening to harm herself. When they arrived on the scene, the woman had come out of the bathroom and was laying on a bed saying she had nothing to live for and that she didn’t want to go back to the hospital. Barney was well trained for the situation and got in the bed and lay down next to the woman, snuggling up to her and helping her to calm down.
Barney stayed by the woman’s side for 45 minutes until an ambulance arrived and she voluntarily agreed to go to the hospital for treatment. In a press release, the Marietta Police Department praised their K9 officer, writing that “Barney’s presence and demeanor gave her the time to calm down and begin to relax." They noted that there’s been an uptick in calls for help related to mental health and that Officer Barney is just one more way they’re able to be there for the community.
Source: WSBTV