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LAW ENFORCEMENT: Officers in Training: Area Police Study Up on Hostage Negotiation

Posted on: Friday, 19 May 2006, 09:06 CDT

By Susanne Nadeau, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

May 19--Learning to listen is a valuable quality to have when attempting to defuse a crisis situation through negotiations.

Law enforcement officials from Grand Forks and all over the region gathered Thursday at the Grand Forks County Office Building to act out hostage situations as a learning tool in crisis intervention and hostage negotiation training. Some law enforcement officials came to Grand Forks from as far away as Detroit, Mich.

Small groups huddled closely together, with one negotiator speaking to a subject with a hostage, all played by law enforcement officers.

It's part of a five-day course taught by retired New York City police officer Dominick J. Misino, who led negotiations for the last six years of his service there.

The Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department sponsored Misino's week-long training course.

It consists of two phases. First comes the "academics" part, Misino said, where officers learn the ins and outs of hostage negotiations and crisis intervention. The second phase is when they put their training into practice, role playing different scenarios where they need to safely remove a person from harm's way. A third phase would certify trainees in crisis intervention and hostage negotiations.

The most important part of the first two phases of training is learning to work as a team, Misino said.

"You can't do it alone," he said.

The team consists of a primary negotiator, who does most of the talking. He or she gets written suggestions from a coach. Then, there's a part of the team that's away from the situation, collecting information from friends or family of the hostage taker.

Another person is on hand to take notes. Usually, a team is made up of five people, Misino said, but more can be added as each situation differs.

"It's intense. You can't hear, can't see anything else," said Sgt. Terry McLaine, from Rapid City, S.D. "Even when you know it's role playing, it's physically exhausting."

Gary Gardner, director of the Grand Forks County Correctional Center, agreed.

"When you are in the negotiating position, it takes a lot out of you," Gardner said.

When the group began hands-on training Thursday morning, they were a bit choppy, Misino said, but they improved tremendously through the day.

Training wraps up today.

Misino said it takes practice to become adept in negotiations. That doesn't happen without some amount of nervousness.

"You're always a little nervous, until you do your job," he said. "We're dealing with people's lives."

Nadeau reports on crime and courts. Reach her at (701) 780-1118, (800) 477-6572, ext. 118; or snadeau@gfherald.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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