NCJ Number
194971
Journal
Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security Int'l Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 40-42
Date Published
2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the role of law enforcement crisis negotiators through a hostage-taking situation in New York City (NYC) and the critical steps taken by the NYC hostage negotiation team in saving a life.
Abstract
The New York City Emergency Service Unit (ESU) consists of SWAT officers, hostage negotiators, and others that are highly trained in crisis situations. This article focuses on the New York City (NYC) hostage negotiation team and the role they play during a crisis situation, where a woman was taken hostage by a man with a knife. During a dangerous crisis situation both an inner and outer perimeter are established. The outer perimeter separates the civilian population from the incident and the inner perimeter separates all unessential police personnel from the incident area. Negotiators are housed in a van a short distance from the apartment where the victim is being held. A single wire runs to the apartment and back out to the van controlling all incoming and outgoing calls to the apartment. Among the three negotiators present, there is one designated as the primary negotiator, the one best suited to read the hostage-taker. The primary negotiator is responsible for talking and interacting with the subject. Negotiators must be good listeners in order to learn more about the subject and situation. In this situation, the primary negotiator was able to talk the hostage-taker out of harming the woman and turn himself in. Hostage negotiating is a second by second, stressful and dangerous job assumed by highly trained law enforcement personnel.