Hostage negotiator
Encyclopedia
Crisis negotiation is a technique for law enforcement
to communicate with people who are threatening violence, including barricade
d subjects, hostage
takers, stalker
s, threat
s, workplace violence
, or persons threatening suicide
.
Hostage negotiation is a subset, involving negotiation with a person, or groups of persons, for the release of one or more hostages.
Modern hostage negotiation principles began in 1972 when, then New York City Police
Detective and psychologist Harvey Schlossberg recognized the need for trained personnel in the intervention of hostage situations. Schlossberg had worked on the "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz
case and had instituted other psychological principles in police work, including implementing psychological screening of police applicants, a now standard procedure in virtually all police agencies throughout the United States, and the use of hypnosis
in police interviews of witnesses and suspects.
The first Hostage Negotiation Teams were often created as elements of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT
) Teams and were often utilized simply to create a diversion or delay for the deployment of SWAT Teams. Hostage negotiation has developed into a science. Hostage negotiation teams are often deployed in conjunction with SWAT Teams or sometimes independently.
The FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit
and Singapore Police Force Crisis Negotiation Unit are examples of specialized units trained in these techniques.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
to communicate with people who are threatening violence, including barricade
Barricade
Barricade, from the French barrique , is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction...
d subjects, hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
takers, stalker
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
s, threat
Threat
Threat of force in public international law is a situation between states described by British lawyer Ian Brownlie as:The 1969 Vienna convention on the Law of Treaties notes in its preamble that both the threat and the use of force are prohibited...
s, workplace violence
Workplace violence
Workplace violence refers to violence that originates from employees or employers and threatens employers and/or other employees.-Definition:The definition of work related violence that has received pan-European acceptance is as follows:...
, or persons threatening suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Hostage negotiation is a subset, involving negotiation with a person, or groups of persons, for the release of one or more hostages.
Modern hostage negotiation principles began in 1972 when, then New York City Police
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
Detective and psychologist Harvey Schlossberg recognized the need for trained personnel in the intervention of hostage situations. Schlossberg had worked on the "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz
David Berkowitz
David Richard Berkowitz , also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and arsonist whose crimes terrorized New York City from July 1976 until his arrest in August 1977.Shortly after his arrest in August 1977, Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and...
case and had instituted other psychological principles in police work, including implementing psychological screening of police applicants, a now standard procedure in virtually all police agencies throughout the United States, and the use of hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
in police interviews of witnesses and suspects.
The first Hostage Negotiation Teams were often created as elements of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
) Teams and were often utilized simply to create a diversion or delay for the deployment of SWAT Teams. Hostage negotiation has developed into a science. Hostage negotiation teams are often deployed in conjunction with SWAT Teams or sometimes independently.
The FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit
FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit
The FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit is the part of the Operational Support Branch of its Critical Incident Response Group responsible for the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Program...
and Singapore Police Force Crisis Negotiation Unit are examples of specialized units trained in these techniques.