FROM MY HOMETOWN (Portland, Maine): Dramatic video has been released from a Portland Police cruiser of a woman trying to jump off the Casco Bay Bridge not once but twice over the weekend. The video shows one of the failed attempts.

Portland Police Chief James Craig says the incidents are examples of a huge problem in Portland: the mentally ill not getting the help they need.

Police say the woman in the video tried to jump from the Casco Bay Bridge connecting Portland with South Portland on Saturday and Sunday. Both incidents lasted for several hours and were both close calls, according to police.

The video shows three officers with the woman hanging off the bridge over the water. At one point, an officer pulls the woman in, putting his own safety at risk, and two other officers had to pull that officer and the woman to safety.

Police say 18 hours later, the woman tried to jump again. They say the latest incident was the woman's 23rd documented suicide attempt this year and the 100th time officers have had to deal with her.

Chief Craig says they're hands are tied in some ways. He says in other cities, officers can place a 72-hour hold on people and keep them in custody if they are a danger to themselves or others, something the Chief says he'd like to see happen in Portland.

Chief Craig plans to hold a meeting with local hospitals and mental health professionals to try and help get mentally ill people off the streets.