Monday, December 30, 2019

The Toll It Took


Bloomington police officers cradle the dying, rush toward gunfire and miss holidays with their kids. Over 18 months, they fought for better hours and pay.

...As he gets dressed, Paul sees a Bible quote from 2 Timothy 4:5 hanging above his gun cabinet: “Keep your head in all situations.”
A challenge coin, earned after completing hostage negotiation schooling, goes into Paul’s pants pockets, along with a handkerchief, leather gloves and two pocketknives.
...The conditions, negotiations and day-to-day police work create a stressed home life, Paul said. “The pressure from both sides wears you down.”

Read more from IDSnews.com [HERE]. 

Friday, December 27, 2019

Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business


“The large majority of kidnap victims are successfully ransomed,” Anja Shortland writes in her new book Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business, in which she claims that 81 percent of kidnap-for-ransom victims are returned, unharmed, in under seven days. “Clearly the hostage trade functions surprisingly well in the large majority of cases. How can such a difficult market operate so successfully?

Read more from the SantaFeNewMexican.com [HERE]. 

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Real Deal Behind the U.S.–Iran Prisoner Swap


Donald Trump celebrated a surprise prisoner exchange with Iran in a tweet on Saturday (Dec. 8, 2019), just hours after a Princeton graduate student and an Iranian scientist were traded on the tarmac of Zurich’s international airport. 

“Thank you to Iran on a very fair negotiation. See, we can make a deal together!” he wrote. 

The swap was a rare moment of détente following months of escalating hostilities, which came within minutes of a military confrontation in June, after Iran shot down a sophisticated U.S. drone.

Read more from the NewYorker.com [HERE]. 

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Best Practices if an Employee is Taken Hostage


What is my duty of care to employees who have been taken hostage?

What are the latest kidnapping trends?

How would I help my employee get back to work after being held captive?


Get the answers to these questions and more at our seminar on May 30th in DC. We will review the latest hostage taking trends. We will use case studies and first-hand experience to review duty of care for your employees and their families should they be taken hostage. We will discuss post-captivity support and reintegration, including health and mental health, assistance with practical challenges, best practices regarding returning to work, and strategies to manage the long-term impacts of captivity. You will hear from:
  • Kieran Ramsey, Director, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell with Diane Ryan, Family Engagement Coordinator, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and Hugh Dugan, Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs;
  • Audrey and Percy Pika, sons of an illegal detainee in the Republic of Congo;
  • Chris Costa, Former Special Assistant to President Trump and Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the NSC alongside Mary McCord, Former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice;
  • Michael Scott Moore, former hostage held in Somalia for 977 days;
  • Michael A. Mason, Senior Vice President, Chief Security Officer, Verizon, and more.

Details
May 30, 2019
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
K&L Gates, 1601 K St. NW, Washington, DC, 20006
Agenda and registration: https://hostageus.org/event/hostage-us-dc-seminar/


Please note, this seminar is not open to media.

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Responding to a suicidal person, Fargo police find it's sometimes 'best to back off'

This article offers a reminder that despite our greatest efforts, it does not always go the way we want. That doesn't mean we did anything wrong either- it's the person (subject) who ultimately decides what to do next. This article also gives me a chance to remind everyone working crisis incidents- check in with yourself and each other to make sure you have a self-care plan in place. 


FARGO — Police here did something they don’t often do when dealing with an armed, suicidal man inside an apartment building on a recent Thursday evening.

After exhausting attempts to communicate with him and consulting with his family, officers decided to leave in order to not escalate the situation.

...“We feel that we had the right people out there. It’s just that there isn’t always a good ending to some of these calls — despite our efforts, despite family efforts,” Todd said.

Read more [HERE]. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

A look into a Crisis Negotiation Police Training

HARTFORD -- Sometimes the police SWAT team is tasked with the dangerous mission of ending the stand-off with force...
Sgt. Kurt LaFlamme the Commander of North Central Crisis Negotiation Team describes his teams first goal...
“My goal through the negotiation team is to use our skills and our training to prevent the tactical team from ever having to be used, that’s my goal, to use our team and not have to use the tactical team," said Officer Gary Gray, of the Simsbury Police Department. "For a safe outcome.”

In 2012, in Avon, a police stand-off occurred during a domestic incident. Officer Gray was the negotiator.

“...there was a barricaded suspect, he threatened his girlfriend with a firearm. We establish contact with the individual, we made contact through a phone and then through the negotiation process he refused to answer the phone. So, then we had to use loudspeakers a megaphone. So, I made contact with the individual through the course of many, many hours we are able to negotiate the individual coming out...

Read more and watch the video [HERE]. 

Monday, April 15, 2019

Improve Your Active Listening Skills With These 13 Strategies

Leaders have an overwhelming number of responsibilities, often distracting or isolating them from others. Unfortunately, this sometimes impacts their ability to truly hear their team's concerns and suggestions. They might have good intentions and ask for their workers’ feedback, but are they really absorbing and acting on that information?

2. Learn To P.A.C.E. The Conversation
Open, two-way verbal communication is the foundation of building rapport. Using the PACE formula maximizes interactions and improves active listening. Purpose: Determine the purpose or core of their message. Ask: Respond with a question to dig deeper and encourage more dialog. Connect: Evaluate their body language to confirm rapport or connection. Encourage: Thank them for their input. - Lisa K McDonaldCareer Polish, Inc.
3. Get (And Stay) Curious
The definition of curious is "eager to know or learn something." If we stay curious during a conversation, we are motivated to connect more deeply with what we hear and ask interesting questions to learn more. If this feels unnatural, start to practice by simply asking, "I'm curious to hear more about..." Try to stay focused and get curious again if you notice your listening declines. - Bonnie DavisDestination Up
Read more from Forbes.com [HERE]. 

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Impact of Fear and Anxiety

Once the fear pathways are ramped up, the brain short-circuits more rational processing paths and reacts immediately to signals from the amygdala. When in this overactive state, the brain perceives events as negative and remembers them that way.

...Moreover, fear can interrupt processes in our brains that allow us to regulate emotions, read non-verbal cues and other information presented to us, reflect before acting, and act ethically. This impacts our thinking and decision-making in negative ways, leaving us susceptible to intense emotions and impulsive reactions. All of these effects can leave us unable to act appropriately.


Read more [HERE]. 

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Inside the ransom business


A kidnapper’s phone call announcing that a family member or employee has been abducted is the stuff of nightmares – as is the eye-watering ransom demand that often accompanies this news. How should you respond?

Most kidnappings take place in countries where governments are weak and territory is disputed. Without a police force able to help, you will need to negotiate to get your loved one back. So, what is the “right” price for their life?

When I ask my students this question, their answers range from “I would never pay a criminal or terrorist” to “I’d pay whatever they’re asking for” or “everything I could possibly spare”.

...Some describe this process as wringing the towel dry: kidnappers squeeze and squeeze until the victim’s representatives stick to their answer, “there is no more”. If those paying the ransom permit the kidnappers to literally squeeze them dry, they will pay all they can afford. But knowing that they will have to endure all the painful squeezes (replete with horrendous threats) anyway, they can also set a lower limit and hide some resources from the criminals. If they stick to their guns, they often achieve a release for a small fraction of the first ransom demand.


Read more [HERE].

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Law Enforcement Suicide: How Police and First-Responders Can Support One Another’s Mental Health

Mar. 22, 2019- More law enforcement officers die by suicide than from being killed in the line of duty. For those who dedicate every single day to keeping communities safe, there can be a toll, and this toll isn’t always visible.

The work of a police officer can cause stress, anxiety and depression. It can disrupt sleep, cause friction with family members, create financial worry, and contribute to alcohol abuse and the abuse of prescription pills. It can also lead to a decline in physical health. For some officers, these elements can create a feeling of isolation, hopelessness and helplessness – all risk factors for suicide.

So what can police officers and first responders – as well as their family and friends – do to support each other’s mental health and stop suicide in law enforcement?

Normalizing That “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay”

Law enforcement officers do the work of real-life superheroes, but they are also human, with feelings and emotions. It is normal for them to be impacted by what they see and experience every day. Ignoring one’s emotions doesn’t work. In reality, it makes things worse.

Read more [HERE]. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

How to Listen Like a Hostage Negotiator

“In a volatile situation where someone’s life is on the line, there can be no shortcuts. You must listen, as the hostage taker is all charged up, emotionally and physically.
“He has his goal, so you must hear him out and understand what he wants to accomplish,” Mr. Cohen said. “As a negotiator, you are looking for a win-win situation, and a hostage taker needs an opportunity to vent and let off steam, as their adrenaline is pumping and as they are in the moment. Unless they unload their demands, they don’t have the capacity to hear and consider behavior change.”

Read more [HERE]. 

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Decision-Making Under Stress: The Brain Remembers Rewards, Forgets Punishments

It's counterintuitive, but under stress we tend to focus more on the rewards than on the risks of any decision.

A new review shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the pros and cons, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative consequences of a decision.

The research has implications for everything from obesity and addictions to finance, suggesting that stress may modify the way people make choices in predictable ways.
“Stress affects how people learn,” says Mara Mather, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California and the lead author of the review. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
...The new review paper also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Read more [HERE]. 

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Weissberg Chair Simon holds Q&A on kidnapping, hostage situations involving journalists


...In his responses, Simon illuminated America’s “no concessions policy,” popularly understood as an official refusal to negotiate with terrorists. This policy was cemented under President Richard Nixon, and is often defended as a way to keep Americans safe while abroad. According to this argument, if terrorists knew that America would pay ransom for its citizens, then Americans would be seen as more valuable, thereby increasing the odds that they would be kidnapped.

According to Simon, there’s no real data to support this argument.
Read more [HERE].

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

The business of kidnapping: inside the secret world of hostage negotiation


Kidnapping and ransom insurance was created in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 60s that it began to really catch on, following a spate of kidnappings in Europe by groups such as Eta in Spain, the Red Army Faction in Germany and the Red Brigades in Italy. The appeal was simple: in the event of a kidnapping, the insurance would provide reimbursement for ransom payment.
There were caveats to prevent fraud and to ensure that the existence of the policy did not actually increase the risk of kidnapping. The first was that the policy had to be kept secret. In fact, it could be voided if its existence became public. The concern was that if the kidnappers knew of the policy, they would demand more money.

Read more [HERE]. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Why U.S. policy toward negotiating with terrorists may be risking Americans’ lives

  • Judy Woodruff:
    One of the arguments that is made about all this is that, when you pay, when you say you are willing to pay, you run the risk that you are encouraging more kidnapping, more hostage-taking in the future.
    How do you answer that?
  • Joel Simon:
    Well, first of all, I started, when I did the research, with that assumption. It's logical.
    But the data just doesn't support it. Kidnapping is really a crime of opportunity. And there is no evidence or very little evidence to suggest that kidnappers are checking passports, and your nationality is going to determine whether you're kidnapped or not, regardless of the particular policy that your government has.

Read more [HERE].

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Mental health: What's normal, what's not

Understanding what's considered normal mental health can be tricky. See how feelings, thoughts and behaviors determine mental health and how to recognize if you or a loved one needs help.

Why is it so tough to tell what's normal?

It's often difficult to distinguish normal mental health from mental illness because there's no easy test to show if something's wrong. Also, primary mental health conditions can be mimicked by physical disorders.
Mental health conditions aren't due to a physical disorder and are diagnosed and treated based on signs and symptoms, as well as on how much the condition affects your daily life. For example, a mental health condition can affect your:
  • Behavior. Obsessive hand-washing or drinking too much alcohol might be a sign of a mental health condition.
  • Feelings. Sometimes a mental health condition is characterized by a deep or ongoing sadness, euphoria or anger.
  • Thinking. Delusions — fixed beliefs that aren't changeable in light of conflicting evidence — or thoughts of suicide might be symptoms of a mental health condition.

Read more from the Mayo Clinic [HERE].

Monday, January 21, 2019

HOBAS: Understanding the Data Behind U.S. Crisis Hostage Negotiation

In 2013, I was a Research Fellow at Columbia University. Working with the FBI, I had access to the Hostage Barricade Database System (HOBAS) and put out what I believe to be is the most current up-to-date information on law enforcement negotiation statistics. 

Have a look at the graphic below and read the corresponding article [HERE]. 


Sunday, January 20, 2019

Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison...the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out


Jason Rezaian’s Account of Hostage Experience Out this Month



Former hostage and friend of Hostage US Jason Rezaian was serving as the Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post when he was illegally detained for 544 days. Later this month, he will release his book detailing his experience. The book titled, “Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out”, paints a picture of his time being held and the efforts to secure his freedom.


The book is available for pre-order and is currently available for a generous discount on Amazon.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

Crisis negotiators are not tasked with diagnosing people in crisis- the job is to resolve the immediate crisis at hand peacefully and then hand the person over to get the more long-term care and support they need (and deserve). This also goes for crisis counselors and others working in crisis incidents.


That said, it is still important to have a deep understanding of different mental illnesses, know the statistics associated with each, and understand the indictors and symptoms of each. Why? This information then allows the negotiator and team to develop an effective communication strategy and plan.


Borderline Personality Disorder
(From NIMH)


Overview

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness marked by an ongoing pattern of varying moods, self-image, and behavior. These symptoms often result in impulsive actions and problems in relationships. People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety that can last from a few hours to days.


Signs and Symptoms

People with borderline personality disorder may experience mood swings and display uncertainty about how they see themselves and their role in the world. As a result, their interests and values can change quickly.

People with borderline personality disorder also tend to view things in extremes, such as all good or all bad. Their opinions of other people can also change quickly. An individual who is seen as a friend one day may be considered an enemy or traitor the next. These shifting feelings can lead to intense and unstable relationships.

Other signs or symptoms may include:
  • Efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, such as rapidly initiating intimate (physical or emotional) relationships or cutting off communication with someone in anticipation of being abandoned
  • A pattern of intense and unstable relationships with family, friends, and loved ones, often swinging from extreme closeness and love (idealization) to extreme dislike or anger (devaluation)
  • Distorted and unstable self-image or sense of self
  • Impulsive and often dangerous behaviors, such as spending sprees, unsafe sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, and binge eating. Please note: If these behaviors occur primarily during a period of elevated mood or energy, they may be signs of a mood disorder—not borderline personality disorder
  • Self-harming behavior, such as cutting
  • Recurring thoughts of suicidal behaviors or threats
  • Intense and highly changeable moods, with each episode lasting from a few hours to a few days
  • Chronic feelings of emptiness
  • Inappropriate, intense anger or problems controlling anger
  • Difficulty trusting, which is sometimes accompanied by irrational fear of other people’s intentions
  • Feelings of dissociation, such as feeling cut off from oneself, seeing oneself from outside one’s body, or feelings of unreality
*My note: Think of each of the above and how you would respond using active listening skills. Also importantly, how would you eventually counter those negative feelings and emotions? Stuck? Read about 'Strength ID's' from Crisis Text Line. 

Not everyone with borderline personality disorder experiences every symptom. Some individuals experience only a few symptoms, while others have many. Symptoms can be triggered by seemingly ordinary events. 

For example, people with borderline personality disorder may become angry and distressed over minor separations from people to whom they feel close, such as traveling on business trips. The severity and frequency of symptoms and how long they last will vary depending on the individual and their illness.

Read more [HERE]. 

Friday, January 18, 2019

Offering hot chocolate behind an armored car: How Washtenaw’s crisis negotiators spent a busy year

ANN ARBOR, MI - Semi-automatic weapons and an armored truck surrounded the home.
They’d been there for hours, ever since a woman climbed out of a window that morning, fearful of her roommate. He was threatening to blow the place up, police said, and he wouldn’t come outside.
Then, he did. For a cigarette.
The crisis negotiators on scene had offered it, officials say.
It’s one of a number of tactics at the disposal of the Washtenaw Crisis Negotiation Team, in concert with Washtenaw Metro SWAT, to end crises such as that Oct. 30 barricade situation in Ypsilanti Township, said Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Lt. Nancy Hansen, negotiation team commander.
Weeks later, via megaphone, negotiators offered a barricaded man hot chocolate.
"Hey, it works," said Hansen, laughing briefly as she recalled some teasing the move incited. "So whatever works, as long as nobody gets hurt."
Read the full story about the busy year the team had at MLive.com [HERE]. 

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Police negotiator who died on Christmas Eve was struggling with PTSD, family reveal as they launch fundraising appeal





A police negotiator who died on Christmas Eve was struggling with PTSD his family has revealed, as they launch a fundraising campaign in his memory.

Detective Inspector Terry Hopkins, who served with South Wales Police, was a married father of three children.

He had joined the 9/12th Royal Lancers from the age of 16 before joining the force, where he progressed to become a negotiator, his son said.
"I do not want my Dad's death to be in vain, nor do I want the bad to be remembered. Only the positive. So, can you help me, help them that are suffering?... 
My Dad was a good man who affected everyone he met in a positive way."
Read more and find out how you can support them [HERE].  

Did you know more police officers in the U.S. died by suicide than by being killed in the line of duty in 2018? Negotiators (and all law enforcement), you do a great job keeping the public safe, make sure to take care of yourself too. 

You are not alone. It is not hopeless. Help is available and you have options: 


  • In the U.S., you can text BLUE to 741741 (Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7, and confidential).
  • Call the national hotline at 800.273.TALK (8255)
  • Cop Line: 800.267.5463

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

We Want To Negotiate The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages, and Ransom

Starting in late 2012, Westerners working in Syria -- journalists and aid workers -- began disappearing without a trace. A year later the world learned they had been taken hostage by the Islamic State. Throughout 2014, all the Europeans came home, first the Spanish, then the French, then an Italian, a German, and a Dane. In August, 2014 the Islamic State began executing the Americans -- including journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, followed by the British hostages.
Joel Simon, who in nearly two decades at the Committee to Protect Journalists has worked on dozens of hostages cases, delves into the heated hostage policy debate. The Europeans paid millions of dollars to a terrorist group to free their hostages. The US and the UK refused to do so, arguing that any ransom would be used to fuel terrorism and would make the crime more attractive, increasing the risk to their citizens. We Want to Negotiate is an exploration of the ethical, legal, and strategic considerations of a bedeviling question: Should governments pay ransom to terrorists?
Read more and purchase the book [HERE]. 

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

LPD Crisis Negotiation Team's skills highlighted after suicide attempt on flyover

LUBBOCK, TX - Monday morning, police helped a suicidal person get to a hospital safely after he stood on the ledge of a freeway overnight. Thankfully, that man is okay now after the LPD Crisis Negotiation Team intervened and spent 7 hours talking the man off the ledge. This incident highlights the importance of Lubbock Police negotiators during an emergency. 
"We want to make sure that every event ends peacefully and all subjects are safe no matter what the situation is," said LPD crisis hostage negotiator, Keith Anguish. 
Read more and watch the video from EverythingLubbock.com [HERE]. 

Monday, January 14, 2019

Hostage Negotiation Competition simulates stress, challenges faced by law enforcement

More than 300 law enforcement officers will converge on Texas State University January 14-17 for the 29th Annual Hostage Negotiation Training and Competition.



Newswise — More than 300 law enforcement officers will converge on Texas State University January 14-17 for the 29th Annual Hostage Negotiation Training and Competition.
The hostage negotiator's skill set may not be well-known to the general public, but is essential to ensure public safety. After nearly three decades, the program's reputation is second-to-none, and provides critical training to police departments both national and international. Approximately 30 teams will participate in 2019, with municipal and state law enforcement units coming in from across the U.S., including representatives from New England, California, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio and Florida, said Wayman Mullins, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and an expert in hostage and crisis negotiations and terrorism. International teams from Canada and Singapore will also participate.
Monday and Tuesday are dedicated to classroom sessions and seminars. Wednesday and Thursday will see the teams conducting mock hostage negotiation exercises, where they'll be graded by top experts in the field.
"Negotiators save lives," Mullins said. "They come here for the training. The better trained they are, the better they do their jobs.
"If you look at the national data, once negotiators respond to a critical incident, their success rate is about 97-98 percent," he said. "What that means is that once we start talking, innocent people don't get hurt or killed. Police officers don't get hurt or killed. The bad guy doesn't get hurt or killed. That's all the justification you need for making these negotiators better at what they do."
Violent hostage situations as depicted in television and movies are a relatively rare occurrence, but negotiators deal regularly with other scenarios demanding their skill set, Mullins explained. Barricades situations happen when, for instance, police attempt to serve a warrant and the intended recipient blocks the door and threatens to shoot anyone who enters. Other times, domestic conflict can escalate to a person taking family members hostage. High-risk suicides are another instance where negotiators become involved with the goal of preserving life.
Law enforcement teams will conducting mock hostage negotiation exercises on Wednesday and Thursday. The teams work in one room, with university faculty playing the role of antagonists in another.
“They’ll be graded on how they negotiate with the hostage takers,” explained Mullins. “This is a role-playing scenario that tries to mimic real life as much as possible.”
The chosen scenario unfolds during the back-and-forth communication between the two groups, with some of the top experts in the field evaluating the teams' performances. All participants receive a standardized evaluation with thorough feedback.
When not participating in the competition, teams are able to observe other teams at work, to learn from the different approaches taken to the same problem.
"Many of the participants will tell you that we add more stress in the competition than they experience in a real life situation, because their peers are watching them here," Mullins said. "The reality is that negotiators can be called on to use these skills at all times, and unexpected times.
"Many of these people have been coming here for more than 20 years," he said. "If we're not helping them, why would they keep come back?"
About Texas State University
Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,694 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 189,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world. Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.

Monday, January 7, 2019

Hostage negotiation skills provide lessons for the boardroom


Suzanne Williams, a former British police hostage negotiator, scans a room of young professionals gathered for her evening masterclass on how to negotiate at work. “You seem like a lovely group of women but I would be far more in my comfort zone speaking to a load of evil kidnappers,” she says candidly.  


 After three decades as a police officer at Scotland Yard, latterly becoming the first ever female head of the force’s hostage crisis unit, Ms Williams is still adjusting to civilian life. In the police force she specialised in kidnappings, sieges, domestic barricades, suicide prevention and what she calls “crimes gone wrong”, such as bank robberies. 
“You need to be well-prepared, whether you’re talking to some terrorists on Iraq or going into a big meeting.”
Read more from FT.com [HERE]. 

Friday, January 4, 2019

A Smarter Way to Recover Hostages

The U.S. strategy of refusing to negotiate with terrorist kidnappers endangers American lives for no good reason

Should governments ever pay ransom to terrorists who take hostages? The question divides experts and politicians. Spain and Italy have a reputation for being willing to pay whatever it takes to bring their citizens home, while the U.K. and the U.S. don’t pay and in some cases don’t even negotiate. As a result, many British and American hostages have been killed by their captors. In 2014, for instance, ISIS murdered its American and British hostages—including the journalists Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff—while cutting a deal for its European captives.
In order to keep ransom payments down, governments that choose to pay should hide their involvement from the hostage-takers...
The no-concessions countries ask their citizens to make this sacrifice because, they believe, to do otherwise would encourage more kidnapping and funnel resources to terrorists that would be used to finance future attacks. And it is true that, if no one ever paid a ransom for a hostage, the economic logic of the crime would be undermined.
But in the real world, that will never happen.

Read more via Joel Simon/WSJ [HERE]. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Ex-NYPD hostage negotiator to bring conflict management advice to Sussex


“What I do is I offer conflict management training. Hostage negotiation or critical incident management or crisis invention, these are extreme examples. But what they involve are active listening skills, rapport-building,” Shanahan said.

During his time in the Big Apple, Shanahan served as a hostage negotiator and senior instructor. In total, he taught over 100,000 different police officers. Since retiring after over 36 years with the NYPD, Shanahan has started Keisatsu Dojo, an LLC that focuses primarily on providing conflict management courses.

Read more from JSONLINE [HERE].