NCJ Number
220253
Journal
Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: 2007 Pages: 123-129
Date Published
2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This case study of a barricaded, suicidal person who was condescending and manipulative toward the crisis negotiators focuses on lessons for dealing with a suicidal person who may not display a depressive mood.
Abstract
After describing the features of the case, five lessons are outlined. The first lesson learned is always put officer safety first. When the subject, who was armed with a gun, confronted the responding officers and told them they were not smart enough to deal with his situation, officers instinctively and mistakenly took this as a challenge that could have led them to engage in behaviors and negotiation tactics that placed them at risk for harm. Second, the negotiator should avoid making promises he/she cannot or has no intention of keeping. This is not only crucial for developing trust in the immediate incident, but will have implications for any recurrence of a suicide threat by the same subject. The third lesson learned is the key role played by information exchanges and strategy discussions between negotiators and the on-scene commander regarding the progress of the negotiations. In the current case, negotiations lasted for 11 hours, and regular communication between negotiators and the on-scene commander ensured there was no pressure to force an untimely and dangerous resolution of the situation. Fourth, close proximity of SWAT and the hostage negotiation team facilitated prompt and efficient action by SWAT at the opportune time. Fifth, mental health advisors should be used as a resource, since they are experts in how various problem behaviors can be aggravated or constructively managed.