Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri has awarded Maplewood Police Officer Levonston Hall the John J. McAtee Award, which recognizes officers who have shown compassion, concern and understanding when interacting with a person who has mental illness.
The association said Levonston made a difference in the life of a person during a psychiatric crisis when he helped a Maplewood resident when he responded in a non-traditional manner.
According to Maplewood Chief of Police Stephen Kruse, Hall was dispatched to the 7200 block of Anna Avenue on Dec. 30, 2016 on a report of a distraught person threatening to kill himself with a knife.
When Hall arrived he saw a man sitting on the curb who appeared distressed and incoherent. The man was holding a large knife in his had and began moving it back and forth in a cutting motion making it look like he was going to cut his wrist.
Hall quickly determined the man was a military veteran and established rapport with him; Hall is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. After gaining the the man’s trust, he was able to remove the knife from his hand. He called an ambulance, which took the man to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation and treatment.
See more information about the award, and Chief Kruse’s commendation to Hall.
Thank you Officer Hall. Thank you. I am wondering if you are the C.I.D. officer on the Maplewood police force. Thank you, again, for averting a tragedy for the ill individual, all of us neighbors, and for yourself, too. We need you to continue on.
I’m so proud of Officer Hall! Wish all police officers would use common sense in these situations all over the country!
Congratulations to Officer Hall, he is a great ? addition to Maplewood.
Officer Hall your Marine Corps training kicked in and your performance of duty was in the spirit of the Corps, Improvise, Adapt and Overcome. I am proud of you and hopefully you will accept me as your shipmate.
So Awesome! Thank you Officer Hall! I hope you plan on being with Maplewood PD for a long time.
Bravo, Officer Hall. Thank you for your care, compassion, and good judgment.
This is wonderful. I hope that the first instinct for all officers is how they can protect members of the community. Even if it’s from themselves.
Way to go!