Western Illinois City To Install Suicide Prevention Signs At Base Of 2 Bridges

You'll notice a new feature on the Illinois side of two QC bridges.

Before we get into this, if you or someone you know have a mental health crisis, here are the resources you can use: call or text 988 (which is the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline) for free, confidential help, or you can online chat at this link.

On Monday night, the Rock Island city council voted to put up suicide prevention signs at the base of Centennial Bridge and the entrance to the Arsenal Bridge viaduct.

According to WQAD, the suicide prevention signs will read 'YOU ARE NOT ALONE' and will feature the 988 information and a QR code that links to the Rock Island Library's Community Information site that will list local and national mental health resources. It's the same QR that's on the back of Rock Island squad cars.

Rock Island Police Chief Timothy McCloud submitted a memo for these signs, saying his department has responded to 154 mental health crisis calls on the Centennial Bridge since 2009.

In 2024 alone, calls came in from the bridge on average once a month.

The signs could appear on the Iowa side of the bridges too. Chief McCloud said Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel has expressed interest in putting up similar signs on the Davenport side.

The signs aren't an expensive thing for the city, they're made by the city public works department. There's no word yet on when the signs will be up on the Rock Island sides.