COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just hours before hundreds of officers gathered in Easton on Wednesday for the Midwest Crisis Negotiators Conference, a real-life crisis was unfolding on an overpass in south Columbus.

A person was seen standing on a bridge over Interstate 270 along Lockbourne Road early Wednesday morning and appeared to be ready to jump, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded and were able to talk the individual down just before 7 a.m. and the person was taken to a hospital.

It's an example of crisis intervention at work, something all Columbus Division of Police patrol officers are trained in. A step above that is hostage negotiator training — something that doesn't always make headlines but happens here almost every week.

“We average 48 call outs a y

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