...You Must Remember
This
Lynne Kinnucan
Many of our members have asked about
crisis intervention trainings, as well as for tips on how to enter the
field. We hope the following
excerpt -- together with our Recommended
Readings section – will be helpful to you.
Our thanks to Dr. Tina Jaeckle of Flagler
College in St. Augustine, Florida, for the following insights and guidance for laypersons
wishing to be involved in the field of crisis intervention.
“Although some crisis negotiators can
make the [negotiation] process appear seamless, in reality it takes much
practice and preparation.
It is important to differentiate the
boundaries and responsibilities in the role of the crisis negotiator and those
of the mental health professional on a specialty team. Although licensed mental
health professionals often have extensive training in managing individual
crisis responses, the trained law enforcement negotiator holds sole
responsibility for negotiating directly with the subject(s). The crisis
negotiator, as a law enforcement officer, has the support and influence of the
SWAT team, if the situation escalates to the point of needed physical
intervention. Mental health professionals can assist the team much more
effectively through the provision of additional trainings and in providing
further insight into human behavior.
From the perspective of a non-law
enforcement officer, I would like to offer several suggestions which I believe
are essential for other mental health professionals interested in providing training
and consultation in this field:
● Take time to approach,
get acquainted, and build trust effectively with a law enforcement department
crisis and/or hostage negotiation team. Be patient as the police culture in
general is not often immediately open to training provided by mental health
professionals who are non-law enforcement officers. Begin with understanding
the community and work involved from the police perspective. Many departments
have ride-a-long programs, which can allow excellent opportunities to gain
insight into daily issues encountered by police officers.
● Attend specialized trainings in crisis
intervention and negotiation offered by local, regional, and national
conferences. Specific topics generally offered are critical incident response,
psychopathology for negotiators, negotiator stress and crisis intervention and
communication skills.
● Read the research and practical
literature which exists on crisis and hostage negotiations to learn more about
the field in general. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin is one excellent
resource.
● Consider approaching smaller law
enforcement agencies which do not have a police psychologist or mental health
consultant for their specialty teams and provide trainings initially on a
voluntary basis. This will allow you to provide a much needed service, gain an
understanding of the agency structure and expectations, and begin to build a
relationship with the team members.
● If you plan on specializing in this
field, consider taking courses in criminal justice at an accredited local
college or university or online program, or attend the local police academy.
Although you may not necessarily need to become a full-time officer, you can
serve as a reservist and this will be a valuable experience.
● Network with other mental health
professionals or police psychologists in the field. Consider the possibility of
a mentor through professional organizations such as the Association of Conflict
Resolution.
● Join professional organizations and
associations that specialize in crisis and hostage negotiations, such as the
Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators or an applicable regional or
national group.
● Identify and understand your own motives for wanting to
provide these types of trainings. It is important to know that this type of
work requires excellent boundaries and the ability to withstand stress.”
RECOMMENDED
READINGS
· On-Scene Guide for Crisis Negotiators -
Frederick J. Lanceley
“If a negotiator does his job well, nothing happens. Good
negotiations are boring. There no
explosions; no gunshots; no exciting, dynamic entries; and nothing to broadcast
on television. On top of nothing happening,
sometimes we make it look too easy. We
just sat and listened. Anyone can do
that! Right?”
So
begins the second edition of Lanceley’s seminal book for crisis
negotiators. The text is not only
far-reaching; it also deals in depth with
such issues as active listening
skills, the structure of sieges, suicide, kidnapping, hostage negotiation and a
fascinating chapter on “Dialogue and Action.”
Also check out his various situation guidelines, flow charts and
analyses of personality disorders in crisis negotiation. Interesting anecdotes highlight the teaching
in this very readable book.
· Facing
Down Evil: Life on the Edge as an FBI Hostage Negotiator - Clint
Van Zandt
Personal stories and anecdotes are the highlight of this
wonderful text that could read more like a thriller/autobiography except that
it also brings the reader so much well-researched information about the inner
workings of the hostage rescue scene.
Addressing such famous incidents as Waco, Oklahoma, and the Ark of the
Covent siege, it also deals in a unique way with standard issue negotiator fare
such as prison riots, suicide-by-cop, domestic violence and bank robberies. Facing Down Evil has enough information
to make it a teaching text and is fascinating enough to make a good fireside
read.
· Stalling
for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage
Negotiator – Gary Noesner
Retired from the FBI in 2003 after a 30-year career as an
investigator, instructor, and negotiator, Noesner was a hostage negotiator for
23 years. He spent the last 10 of those
years as the Chief Negotiator for the FBI. He retired as the Chief of the FBI's
Crisis Negotiation Unit, Critical Incident Response Group, the first person to
ever hold that position. He also created the FBI’s Behavioral Change Stairway,
taught in all FBI classes He was at
every major hostage incident in the U.S
He chose Waco from these to illustrate much of his personal
experience in hostage and crisis negotiation, relating not only the techniques,
strategies and maneuvers, but also the personalities and politics that can dramatically
affect the outcome of a life-and-death situation.
“Hostage negotiation”, says Noesner, “is about managing
yourself and the people around you. And
while the most important relationship may appear to be with the person you have
on the other end of the phone, in fact this is often not the case. In the midst of trying to talk someone into
giving up, you have to manage the people supporting you, to make sure that you
have the help you need at hand to make split-second decisions. And you have to “manage up” - to make sure
your commanding officer is paying attention to what you’re doing, supporting
your decisions, and fend off attempts to take actions that would undermine
them.
He also deals with terrorism, ending with a stark look at the
truth of terrorism: “We have to be good all the time. A terrorist only has to be good once.”
The book is a
must-read. Your problem if you can’t put
it down.
·
Crisis Negotiations, Fifth Edition: Managing Critical
Incidents and Hostage Situations in Law Enforcement and Corrections - Michael J. McMains
and Wayman C. Mullins.
This classic,
foundational text has gone through four iterations. So what could it possibly offer that’s new?
What’s new are elements
of the layout and an update on the latest literature. For instance it has user-friendly,
bulleted strategy points for quick reference for negotiators on-scene, and which
also can be downloaded from the Internet; a focus on the nuts-and-bolts of how
strategies are developed and used in a crisis situation; and an update on the
literature that has been written since the publication of the fourth edition. They
also have a more in-depth focus on how psychological knowledge of personalities
can be applied in crisis situations, and a list of questions that negotiators
should ask themselves, and when, and why.
Besides being a first-rate
resource for negotiators -- or any law enforcement personnel – it could be an
invaluable addition to courses in criminal justice, psychology and law as well as in seminaries.
Emotional
Survival for Law Enforcement Kevin M. Gilmartin,
Ph.D.
What
makes a committed, idealistic law enforcement officer become an
angry cynical person both on the job and with his family? And why can it happen
so fast? What brings on the increased incidences of alcoholism, suicide,
divorce, isolation and loneliness and, sometimes, pretending that there *are”
no problems -- just to keep the job?
What happens in this book may surprise
you, as Dr. Gilmartin delves into the rarely discussed and subtle influences
than can drastically change an officer’s – or even an employee’s life. Wonder if this book is really worth reading?
Try this from a 25-year law enforcement veteran:
“If you want to make it through to
retirement, wear your vest, wait for your backup, and read Gilmartin’s book.”