NCJ Number
95949
Date Published
1984
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on hostage-taking incidents which have occurred in various health care settings, including general hospitals, outpatient clinics, children's hospitals, and dialysis units.
Abstract
Attention is focused on nine such incidents. In New York in October 1982, a convicted robber grabbed a guard's weapon, shot the guard, and took five hospital employees hostage. All hostages were safely released, with the rapport between the robber and the police negotiators instrumental in ending the siege. In Fort Worth, Tex., in September 1982, a 24-year-old nonpatient seized four hostages on a locked psychiatric ward; he released three of the hostages, and when the fourth went to check an ice machine, the police began their assault. The suspect surrendered. In New Orleans, in November 1981, a patient, upset over a cut in his disability payments, held a hospital director hostage for more than 4 hours. Negotiators convinced the man to surrender, and he was sentenced to 3 years in jail. In another incident, in New Orleans in January 1982, a 31-year-old male armed with a .22-gauge, double-barreled shotgun, took six persons hostage. After tense negotiations, he surrendered, and was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Similar incidents in Lake Butler, Fla.; Laramie, Wyo.; Woodland and Los Angeles, Calif.; and in Memphis, Tenn.; are explored. A recurring theme throughout hostage takings in health care settings is a lack of power; hostage taking is committed by the weak and powerless. Two categories of hostage takers are the aggrieved person and the estranged person. To deal with the possibility of being a hostage, health care personnel should complete hostage survival training. Health care facilities should have an administrative plan which includes provisions for a clear line of command and control. The plan should specify individuals authorized to set aside areas for police command posts, a negotiator area, and a resource area. A total of 24 notes are included.