Hostage Negotiations

Hostage taking is an ancient form of criminal activity, and it was even an accepted tool of diplomacy in certain societies. Although such acts have a long history, they are still employed today, as demonstrated in Iraq in 2004, where various factions have seized military and civilian personnel from several countries as hostages in hostilities between those factions and U.S. forces.

Hostage taking is defined by the United Nations as “the seizing or detaining and threatening to kill, injure, or continue to detain another person to compel a third party to do or abstain from doing any act as a condition for the release of the hostage.”

Prior to 1973, hostage negotiation did not exist as a function in U.S. police departments until the largest law enforcement agency in the country, the[Page 220] New York City Police Department (NYPD), reacted to the terrorist hostage holding in Munich, West Germany, by initiating an examination of police operational responses to hostage situations. Terror-related hostage holding, including skyjacking, was not uncommon in parts of Europe and the Middle East during the 1970s.

In the Munich Olympic hostage situation, two members of the Israeli Olympic team were killed in the original takeover. In addition, one West German police officer, five Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists, and eight Israeli hostages died during an attempt to free the hostages by force. The Munich event alerted the NYPD that their jurisdiction could provide a similar opportunity for groups to engage in terroristic diplomacy. The fact that the hostage holding occurred during the upbeat international Olympics; involved American allies, Israel and West Germany; and was broadcast live by the media was enough to prompt an immediate study of the issues. As a result of the NYPD's research, a formal hostage recovery policy was established and hostage negotiators were created. Its primary concerns were with containment of the scene, control of personnel and resources, and communication with the captors. In an NYPD report on police preparedness for terrorist events, the hostage situation guide indicated that it had been designed to focus on functional teamwork, effective communications, and skilled coordination of tactics, under the management of a high-ranking police commander.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated research and training in hostage negotiation soon afterward. The FBI has trained approximately 50% of the local police negotiators in the United States. The FBI also maintains a cadre of negotiators and its Hostage Rescue Team for response to incidents under its jurisdiction and as assistance for other agencies.

Subsequently, agencies throughout the country studied the innovation, and the concept was frequently adapted to local requirements. By 1982, hostage negotiation had become an established tactic in American policing, and specifically selected and trained police negotiators are recognized as best suited to carry out this function. Over the past 31 years (1973–2004), countless lives—including hostages, police, and captors—were saved by adhering to procedures that underscored the potential value of coordinated negotiation over potentially premature tactical interventions.

A law enforcement organization designates an individual as the negotiator to engage the hostage holder in a dialogue in an effort to find a peaceful resolution to the instant problem. The hostage holding may be motivated originally by criminal intent, emotional crisis, or politics. The negotiator will attempt to persuade the holder to release the hostage(s) unharmed in return for a pledge that the captor will not be harmed and may even be assisted in resolving perceived problems in a legitimate way. The concept of hostage negotiation is complex because issues of safety, life and death, are always present, and these situations typically involve the response of a large number of law enforcement personnel, a potentially complicated command structure, and observance of special procedures. Media attention is a given at virtually every hostage/crisis negotiation scene.

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