Crisis Negotiators Introduction Course

This two day course will provide a review and general understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Crisis Negotiator. Crisis Negotiating with a hostage / barricaded / suicidal person is among the most stressful and difficult tasks a police officer will encounter. This course will review the concepts and techniques of crisis negotiations and subject assessment, while dealing with the challenging, demanding, and potentially violent interactions that can arise when encountering persons suffering from mental illness and in a state of crisis.

This introduction course is a tremendous learning opportunity for those who act as the first point of contact with persons in a state of crisis. By broadening the knowledge and understanding of crisis negotiation concepts and techniques during a critical incident will allow for a smooth transition for the Crisis Negotiation Team to take over the incident if required.

In addition, this course will strengthen the methods used to reach the desired outcome, support the mission statement and enhance police accountability. Training includes handout material, certificate and the use of audio and video aids, blended with academic based learning via case studies, scenarios and terminology.

The course instructor has 32 years’ experience as a Police Officer, which includes 20 years as a Crisis Negotiator and 7 years as a Tactical Officer.

Learning Outcomes

 Upon completion students will:

1) Enhanced their ability to identify communication behaviors, actively listen, and create dialogue techniques. Importantly they will also have an understanding of knowing when to apply these techniques while attending those suffering from a mental illness and in a state of crisis. 2) With an enhanced knowledge of mental health and the role it plays in states of crisis, the student will be able to recognize the characteristics and have a basic understanding of depression, schizophrenia, antisocial, inadequate/borderline personality disorders and apply the appropriate crisis negotiation technique and strategy. 3) The student will know the meaning of the Expressive and Instrumental Criminal, their characteristics and how to recognize them and apply the appropriate crisis negotiation techniques. 4) The student will understand the elements and meaning of the Police Mission Statement and operational objectives. This will be coupled with the police incident command triangle, and the roles and responsibilities in managing a coordinated effort to achieve a peaceful resolution. Knowledge and use of these frameworks are crucial to well-functioning crisis management. 5) Lastly, the student will understand the use of third-party intermediaries and interpreters as an asset to the crisis negotiating team, as well as recognizing their demands, deadlines, and successfully negotiating through them. As a result, those who attend the CCII Crisis Negotiators Introduction Course will have a well-rounded set of crisis negotiation and critical incident skills with the proper knowledge of how to deploy them for the best possible resolution.