Introduction/Orientation: This opening block of instruction includes instructor and class self-introductions and an overview of the class curriculum, historical context of negotiations, provided materials and suggested readings. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture format.
Required/Suggested Equipment: This block of instruction is intended to make the student aware of the required equipment that is necessary on any hostage or barricaded response. It will also serve to alert commanders of what equipment is available. The equipment presented includes the hostage phone (demonstrated in Phase 2 0f P.A.T.C training), response vehicles, ballistic equipment, identifying raid jacket, hats, fiber optic cameras and listening devices, department radio tactical channels, amongst others. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture and power point format.
Fundamentals of Hostage Negotiation: Students will receive general theoretical concepts on hostage negotiatlons that include the three different types of response incidents, the reason law enforcement agencies negotiate, emotion verses rationality, managing an incident, profiles of hostage-takers and hostages, negotiator selection, time management; amongst others. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture and power point and video format.
Active Listening: Students will receive information on listening techniques used in hostage or crisis negotiations. They will understand the basic concepts of actively listening and restating or paraphrasing what they heard in their own words, confirming that they heard and understood the message being stated. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture and power point and video format.
Legal Issues: This block of instruction will give the student an understanding of the various court cases that have laid the legal foundation for hostage negotiations in the United States. Precedent setting cases, such as Downs verses the United States (1971), U.S. verses Crosby (1983), N.Y. verses Quarles (1984), and others, will be discussed in giving awareness and avoiding civil liability issues. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture and power point format.
Tactical Communications: This block of instruction will assist the student in developing rapport-building strategies by examining the five-core principles of managing emotion. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture and power point format.
Special Responses: The block of instruction will serve to give the student an awareness of response protocols within special environments, such as in airports or on waterborne vessels. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Tactical Teams: This block of instruction will address the role of tactical teams in a hostage situation response. It will examine the interagency cooperation that is required between tactical teams, negotiators and incident commanders. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Case Study: This block of study will examine an actual hostage situation that occurred in Williamsburg Brooklyn with indebt analysis and lessons learned. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Class Exercise: Students will participate in a class exercise in the viewing of an interactive video of a hostage simulation. This video has several possible outcomes based on student's responses. This is the first student introduction of how an actual hostage negotiation might play out. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture and video format.
Negotiating With Inadequate Personalities: This component of the training addresses the psychological aspects of crisis negotiation. It will address irrational and inappropriate behavior and will give an overview ofthe differing personality disorders and mental illnesses that negotiators are most likely to come in contact with. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Law Enforcement Response: This block of instruction will teach strategic approaches when responding to incidents involving law enforcement officers. It will include instruction on the proper use of utilizing supervisors or colleagues as third party intermediaries (TPI's), maintaining agency protocols, dynamics of compounded inner-turmoil, amongst others. It will include a case study that will demonstrate lessons learned and speak to issues revolving around police suicide. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Corrections: This block of instruction will address the specialized response within a correctional environment focusing on advantages and disadvantages from a patrol perspective. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Special Groups: This component of the training addresses strategies when responding to incidents involving special populations, such as, veterans and the elderly. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Case Study: This block of study will examine an actual hostage situation that occurred in Jamaica Queens with in depth analysis and lessons learned. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Managing Demands: This block of instruction will examine strategies of managing hostage-taker demands and demands that are never negotiable in any hostage situation. The student will be presented with various tactics to soften demands or reframe them. This block will also explore working through hostage-taker deadlines. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
Stress Management: The student will be made to understand the effects of stress on the hostage-taker, the hostages and the negotiator and develop strategies in stress management. They will explore the correlation between stress and performance (Yerkes-Dodson Principle) and become aware of the consequences of not managing stress appropriately. This portion of the training will be presented in lecture, power point and video format.
