JUMPER WON'T BE CHARGED

No criminal charges will be filed against a man who threatened to jump from the Mississippi River bridge earlier this week, Cape Girardeau police said.

In most cases that involve police handling a potential suicide, the person making the threat is not arrested, Sgt. Carl Kinnison said.

"We can only bring charges if the person commits a crime in the process," Kinnison said.

An unidentified man held up traffic on the bridge for about two hours Monday afternoon as police and firefighters worked to get him down.

Police could not release the name of the man, since no charges were made, Kinnison said.

"Privacy becomes an issue," when a mental illness is involved, he said.

When criminal charges are made against a suicidal person, trespassing is sometimes used, Kinnison said. But the person would have to be on private property.

Typically, the care of suicidal persons is transferred to the Community Counseling Center, police said. From that point, trained counselors make an evaluation as to whether or not a person should be committed to a medical facility for evaluation and treatment.

Those who have hurt themselves or refuse to back down from suicide plans are usually committed to a treatment facility by a judge's order.

The standard term of confinement to a treatment facility is 96 hours, although a judge has leeway to increase this.