ABSTRACT
The long durations of these sieges are due to several factors, including the subject’s preparation, his expectations, and the relatively small emotional factor. Occurrence: Spontaneous sieges are relatively commonplace, whereas deliberate sieges are rare and anticipated sieges rarer still. Motivation: Historically, left wing groups have taken hostages in deliberate sieges and right wing groups or persons have been involved in anticipated sieges. The motivation for spontaneous sieges has been emotional and personal. State of Mind: In a deliberate or anticipated siege, the subject, while typically frightened, is relatively rational. Emotions, on the other hand, are initiating and driving the spontaneous siege. Stance: In a deliberate siege, the subject takes an offensive posture; in an anticipated siege he takes a defensive posture. In a spontaneous siege, the subject’s stance depends upon how he responds to the situation. A few subjects respond aggressively and start making substantive demands, but more subjects respond emotionally, with little else of substance. Location: The location for a deliberate siege is often a public and/or symbolic place. It might be, for example, the embassy or national airline of a hated nation. A spontaneous siege can happen almost anywhere, but police respond most commonly at the subject’s residence, vehicle, or place of employment. An anticipated siege occurs at the subject’s compound or residence because the government knows it can find him there. Number of subjects: It is relatively uncommon for police departments or sheriff’s offices to encounter more than one subject in a spontaneous siege. Multiple subjects in deliberate and anticipated sieges more often confront the FBI. In deliberate and anticipated sieges, there is often a strong leader but indictable followers. Purposeful Timing: Deliberate sieges are sometimes initiated on special dates or anniversaries. Spontaneous sieges
are just that, spontaneous. In an anticipated siege, the timing of the incident is at the government’s judgment. Preparation: In a deliberate siege, the subject makes what preparations he can before undertaking the siege. This preparation may be difficult in that he often has to travel to his target destination and carry his provisions with him. There have been hostage-taking incidents where the subjects brought their lunches with them because they knew that the incident was going to take a while. Subjects in anticipated sieges are the most prepared because they did anticipate this event. They are relatively comfortable at home and they are ready in terms of food, water, weapons, ammunition, and mindset. Weapons: Here, quality weapons are weapons that are at least semi-automatic, not “Saturday night specials.” In deliberate sieges, the subjects have to carry their weapons, often concealed, into a hostile environment, and they generally bring the best quality weapons that they can lay their hands on. The circumstances of a deliberate siege limit what weapons the hostage takers can use during the siege. Subjects in spontaneous sieges use whatever weapons are readily available, so the weaponry varies widely. Subjects often have quality, complex, and often multiple weapons in anticipated sieges. They have had time to work on their preparations, so resources and creativity are their only limitations. Ammunition: Subjects in deliberate sieges take into the siege location whatever ammunition they feel will be sufficient. Subjects in anticipated sieges often have an abundance of ammunition. As the weaponry varies in spontaneous sieges, so does the amount of ammunition, though it is generally minimal. Drugs/Alcohol: Drugs and/or alcohol are commonly seen in spontaneous sieges but are only rarely seen in the other types of sieges, unless the subject is taking a drug to stay awake. In a spontaneous siege, it is often the subject’s inebriated state and his resultant behavior that induces a third party to telephone the authorities.
