ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the development of crisis negotiations in the United States. The profession of crisis negotiations is more an art than a science. In the beginning of American hostage negotiations, the New York City Police Department inscribed the fundamental dogma of the value of human life into the decision-making process for crisis incident commanders. Training police crisis management personnel is like buying insurance. At the beginning of every Police Hostage Negotiators’ Update Course for senior negotiators held in San Jose, California, the students were asked to share crisis incidents, including outcomes and any resulting lawsuits. The chapter also provides commanders and negotiators with some criteria and guidelines so they can “creatively” deviate from established crisis negotiation guidelines when absolutely necessary. The decision to deviate from guidelines sounds a bit ominous, as it should. It places a heavy burden on command that may cost lives and place organizations in serious financial jeopardy.
