ERIE, Colo. (KDVR) — A police interaction earlier this month with a knife-wielding man has the Erie Police Department's chief calling it a textbook example of de-escalation.

He said he's proud of his officers for successfully getting a suicidal man to drop his weapon without using force. It all started with a call into the Erie Police Department, a welfare check for a man in distress. When officers arrived, they found him outside holding a knife and began talking, starting with a simple question: What's wrong?

Erie Police Chief Lee Mathis says that’s exactly how it should happen.

“It makes me very proud," he said.

Body cam footage from the scene has two officers talking calmly to the man in question. Holding a knife, Mathis said, is a scary situation that can make staying calm a challenge.

“They need to keep their distance, they need to keep calm, they need to lower their voice and assure that person that they are there to help them, not to hurt them," said Mathis.

As the conversation continues, the officer asks repeatedly for the man to put down the knife.

“There’s a high amount of adrenaline and a high alertness that comes along with that," said Mathis.

Adrenaline, he said, that his department trains for at least 10 hours every year, especially given the increase in calls like this one.

“We’re a growing town and it’s happening more and more where we’re dealing with individuals who have a mental health crisis," said Mathis.

After the officers and the man talk for about ten minutes, a breakthrough happens. After one final time asking, you can hear the knife drop as the man opens up to the officers. That one simple question, leading to success, that Mathis says is exactly how he wants his department to handle every situation like this one.

“We were glad to see that outcome," says Mathis.