News · Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie officer honored for pulling a person in crisis back over the East Portage Avenue Bridge railing
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — A Sault Ste. Marie police officer has received a departmental Lifesaving Commendation for stopping a person in crisis from going off the East Portage Avenue Bridge.
Officer Michael Rand responded to a call about someone who intended to harm themselves, possibly by going into the river or with a sharp object, EUP News reported. He checked overpasses and waterways and found the person on the bridge. Moments later, the person climbed over the safety railing.
Rand kept the person talking and, while doing so, closed the distance. When he had the chance, he grabbed the person’s arm and pulled them back over the railing, then took a knife from their hand without anyone being hurt, according to the department’s account. The person was taken to get care.
The commendation was on the City Commission’s Oct. 5 agenda. Department leaders praised Rand’s composure and judgment.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time. In an emergency, call 911.
Sources:
EUP News, “Local officer honored with lifesaving commendation for heroic bridge rescue,” Oct. 2026 (incident account, award), https://www.eupnews.com/2026/10/local-officer-honored-with-lifesaving-commendation-for-heroic-bridge-rescue/
Upper Peninsula News, “Sault Ste. Marie votes Monday on airport TIFA extension,” Oct. 5, 2026 (commendation on Oct. 5 agenda), https://upperpeninsulanews.com/articles/sault-ste-marie-votes-monday-on-airport-tifa-extension-muscgvm8
Photo: TCP04, “Downtown Sault Ste. Marie, MI.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Sault_Ste._Marie,_MI.jpg
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