Overview

Hostage negotiation is one of the most remarkable areas of law enforcement. Through a combination of tactical communication, empathic connection and, at times, subterfuge, negotiators persuade desperate, suicidal or homicidal individuals, often intoxicated or mentally ill, to relinquish their position of power and submit to police authority. In this book, the reader will find thirty different training scenarios that cover the gamut of mental illness and personality disorders, as well as common situations that lead otherwise ordinary people into desperation. Most of them are based on cases that one or the other of the authors have actually encountered. There are full instructions on how to set up the scenario, and how to brief the role player so that he or she plays it true-to-life. The scenarios are colorful, unpredictable, and multi-layered, and require active involvement of the secondary negotiator and the rest of the team for intelligence gathering. Just as a real situation can change radically when new information is acquired, most of the scenarios will have unexpected twists that require the negotiators to think on their feet, and sometimes diametrically change directions. Many include SWAT, and some are specifically crafted so that tactical officers can practice various skills during the scenarios, such as food deliveries, release of an injured hostage, delivery of the throw phone, or documents the subject has demanded. They can plant listening devices, or attempt to get a visual on the scene. Team leaders can program the negotiation exercise for 'failure, ' something that neither SWAT nor the negotiators will be informed. When it is suddenly time to go, they must be ready to tactically respond. Although it is an educational read for anyone involved in crisis intervention - far beyond police work - it is written as a resource book for HNT/CNT teams.

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9780998522463

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Reviews

I am the team leader for a regional Crisis Negotiation Team. Developing effective training scenarios is a key part of CNT/HNT training. One of our team members purchased Shapeshifting and gave it to me to read. This book is now my go to for training scenarios; some of the scenarios can also be changed for joint SWAT/CNT training exercises. Every CNT/HNT should have Shapeshifting in their training library. Excellent book! Perfect for setting scenario based training for SWAT, as well as law enforcement agencies that don't have the luxury of a negotiations team. This book is a god aid in helping those in patrol dealing with mentally ill calls.

Author Information

Ellis Amdur received his B.A. in psychology from Yale University and his M.A. in psychology from Seattle University. He is both a National Certified Counselor and a State Certified Child Mental Health Specialist. Amdur has trained in various martial arts systems for the past fifty years, spending thirteen of these years studying in Japan. He is a recognized expert in classical and modern Japanese martial traditions and has authored three iconoclastic books on the subject, as well as one instructional DVD. Since his return to the U.S. in 1988, Amdur has worked in the field of crisis intervention as a pioneering instructor for law enforcement. He is a dynamic public speaker and trainer who presents to people working in a variety of professions throughout the United States and internationally. He is noted for his sometimes-outrageous humor as well as his profound breadth of knowledge. His vivid descriptions of aggressive and mentally ill people and his true-to-life role-playing of the behaviors in question give participants an almost first-hand experience of facing the real patients in question. In addition, Amdur has developed a range of consultation services, as well as a unique style of assessment and psychotherapy. Amdur's professional philosophy can best be summed up as: The development of an individual's integrity and dignity is the paramount virtue. This can only occur when people live courageously, regardless of the circumstances, and take responsibility for their roles in making the changes they desire. He has authored and co-authored a number of books on the de-escalation of aggression, specific to those in various professions. Lis obtained a BA in Speech-Communications from the University of Washington. She was hired by the Seattle Police department as an officer in 1979. She retired after thirty-one years of service. As a police officer, she worked over 10 years in the patrol division, as well as working as an officer-dispatcher in the communications division. In 1988 Lis was assigned to the basic training division, where she taught Criminal Law. In 1992, Lis was promoted, and went back to patrol as a sergeant. In addition to being a patrol supervisor, and a Community Policing Team supervisor, she served in the Internal Investigations Division and as a Detective Sergeant in the Domestic Violence Unit. In addition to these regular assigned duties, Lis was a member of the Hostage Negotiations Team, since 1981, and became the team leader in 1992. As a Hostage Negotiator, Lis has been involved in numerous incidents involving persons in crisis. She has attended basic and advanced hostage negotiators schools, in addition to annual training seminars in negotiating crisis situations. Lis was selected to attend the two-week Crisis Negotiations School, sponsored by the FBI in Quantico, VA. To increase her skills in communication with those in crisis, Lis worked over six years as a volunteer phone worker for the King County Crisis Clinic, eventually being asked to serve on their board of trustees. Because of her involvement with the Hostage Negotiations Team, and her experience in dealing with persons in crisis, Lis was chosen to be a member of the committee that developed and implemented the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program on the Seattle Police Department in 1997. This unit trains officers on suggestions and options to use when encountering persons who are in crisis due to emotional disturbance or mental illness. Lis was selected to be the CIT coordinator in January of 2000. As a result of this involvement, Lis developed a strong partnership with the National Advocates for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) to explore a better response for law enforcement in dealing with mentally ill individuals. In 2002, Lis received the Jefferson Award for her contributions to the community in working to assist mentally ill persons to reduce their involvement with the police, and ensure their safety, and the safety of the community. She was recognized in 2003 by Good Housekeeping magazine, as one of the recipients of their annual Women in Government awards. Most recently, she has served as a consultant to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission to assist in the development and implementation of the CIT training for all law enforcement officers in King County. Lis is considered to be a nationally recognized expert on issues involving police response to dealing with the mentally ill. She has participated in national panels exploring best practices (PERF) involving police interactions with both mentally ill individuals as well as working effectively with the mental health system. She has been consulted as a subject matter expert by the United States Department of Justice concerning the effective utilization of resources in setting up CIT programs. Lis has participated internationally, as well, having presented at Police/Mental Health conferences in England and Australia.

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