Become a Hostage Negotiator

A hostage negotiator needs to have the 6 basic tools in his arsenal and only one of them is lethal.  A hostage negotiator always thinks of saving lives, not ending one.  Although it is necessary for a negotiator to be lethal when the situation calls for it, aggressive confrontation is something that they prefer to avoid.  A negotiator is well versed in the human psyche, analytical and not emotional, highly charismatic, well oriented with the law, calm in critical situations and quick with a gun.

In an event of a hostage negotiation, it is essential to understand who you are dealing with as soon as possible.  The first contact with the perpetrator can sometimes be the last one you’ll ever have in the entire process.  This means that you have to pick up on major and minor details as quickly as you can if the perpetrator tries to contact you.  This is a very difficult task.  Therefore, you will have to undergo a special training, which is focused on psychology.  With this specialty, you will be able to decide whether the criminal will hesitate to kill if you try to make the more aggressive moves.  It might not give you much if you know that the perpetrator will hesitate to kill but, most of the time, it is this information that will give the negotiator an idea if the negotiation can end well or end the kidnapping with overwhelming force.

Negotiation is, for the bigger part, a mind game.  For example, if the kidnapped hostage was picked in a crowd of people, it will let you know certain details of the situation.  It will tell you that it was planned and the hostage was targeted.   And if you are hot on the criminals’ tails, it means that their plans need to be changed.  However, in a situation where in the cops are already in pursuit of the criminals, options are often reduced to zero for the perpetrators.  With your assistance, you can present them with a reasonable option, which will not result to any lose of life.  If they intend to escape imprisonment, you can let them know that it is not possible.  That the best they can do is give-up and avoid increasing their debts to the Law.

Charisma is something that only few people are born with. Learning it is so difficult that most people who tried and failed say that it is impossible.  The truth is, it is possible to acquire a charismatic appeal to people.  A simple makeover and some training with the right people is all you need.  Acting and speech classes might be required including some simple research on what clothes to wear because you need to look professional and, at the same time, approachable.  In short, you need to look like you can be trusted.

The reason why cops are the best people for this type of job is because they already have the necessary trainings on how to handle heated situations and they have enough knowledge of the law.  Not to mention, they are already skilled in handling combat and weaponry.

If you have plans on learning how to negotiate with criminals, the best way to do that is to join your city’s finest.  And if you have done that, improve yourself according to what you think is necessary to become an effective hostage negotiator.  Read a book or books or join in special trainings that your department has.