ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author develops the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Crisis Negotiations program at our academy from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s. For the last quarter of a century, the FBI recognized and taught the need for a crisis incident negotiations team. In the author’s experience: negotiators know how to effectively communicate with the subject; and the tactical team is well positioned and well trained. Most departments saw the need for a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, and trained accordingly. The SWAT team concept was so popular that many departments entered into mutual aid pacts with neighboring departments. Correctional institutions and police departments across Europe and from the United States to Asia and Australia responded by developing an array of crisis response philosophies and team structures. SWAT teams need intelligence on the structure of the building; the negotiating team needs intelligence on the structure of the personality of the subject and the hostages.
