Hostage Response & Resolution Conference

COURSE DESCRIPTION (CLICK HERE)

Day 1 - Jack Cambria (8:00am-4:00pm)

What happens when you encounter a police officer in crisis. This instructor will present three actual case studies of law enforcement officers on the brink: two being suicidal and one being held hostage in a precinct station house at gunpoint. 

Day 2 - Matthew Garcia (8:00am-4:00pm)

This scenario-driven course provides officers with essential skills for managing crisis and hostage situations. Training focuses on core negotiation techniques, communication strategies, and practical decision-making in fast-moving incidents. Officers will learn to apply specialized approaches when negotiating with teens and young adults, recognize behavioral indicators of extremist subjects, and coordinate effectively with Public Information Officers (PIOs) to craft accurate public messaging during major events such as manhunts.

Participants will engage in both independent and small-team practical exercises, rotating through roles such as primary negotiator, coach, and scribe.

The course includes multiple debriefs and a culminating integrated scenario to assess proficiency. This training is designed to enhance communication, improve incident outcomes, and strengthen interagency coordination in high-risk situations.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• Apply basic crisis and hostage negotiation techniques in fast-moving critical incidents.
• Communicate effectively to build rapport, gather intelligence, and influence subject behavior.
• Use negotiation approaches tailored to teens and young adults, accounting for emotional and developmental factors.
• Recognize behavioral indicators and motivations of extremist subjects.
• Coordinate with Public Information Offices (PIOs) to craft strategic messaging during events such as manhunts.
• Work within a small negotiation team and independently demonstrate practical proficiency.
• Assess real-world incidents through guided debriefs to identify effective strategies.
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One-Day Course Schedule
AM Session
1. Welcome, Orientation & Safety Brief
• Course goals
• Instructor introductions
• Expectations and evaluation process

2. Foundations of Crisis & Hostage Negotiation
• Core concepts and communication principles
• Demonstrate proficiency through practical exercises (active listening, rapport building, structured questioning)

3. Negotiating with Teens & Young Adults
• Developmental differences affecting communication
• Impulsivity, stress response, and peer influence
• Effective strategies for youth-based crises

4. Team Exercises
• Small-team negotiation scenario
• Instructor coaching, feedback, and short debrief
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PM Session
5. Extremist Group Considerations
• Motivations, behaviors, and threat indicators
• Communication pitfalls and effective response strategies

6. PIO Coordination During Manhunts & Major Events
• Working with PIO personnel
• Crafting clear, accurate public messaging
• Strategies to reduce misinformation and maintain public safety

7. Debrief & Practical Exercise – Extreme Ideology in Domestic Incident
• Mixed elements: high-risk or extremist subject, rapidly evolving intelligence
• Officers rotate roles: primary negotiator, coach, scribe
• Structured debrief and instructor evaluation

8. Debrief & Practical Exercise – Integrated Final Exercise
• Incorporates teen/young adult components
• Includes PIO communication coordination
• Requires both independent and small-team proficiency

9. Final Debrief & Evaluations
• Lessons learned
• Performance feedback
• Course completion recognition

Day 3 - Darryl Rivers (8:00am-4:00pm)

Darryl Rivers will present on Solving challenging points of dialogue before they become challenging. Negotiating with individuals who have major illnesses vs. individuals with personality disorders. Dealing with suicidal subjects and the mindset of the self-aware negotiator.