https://negotiations.ninja/podcast/navigating-crisis-negotiations-with-empathy-with-dr-andy-young-ep-317/
The Tactical Breakdown Podcast Interview
Here’s the link to our chat about hostage (crisis) negotiating: https://www.thebreakdown.ca/
My Interview On WGN Radio In Chicago
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Karen Conti for her talk show. Here's a link to that 15 minute interview:
http://wgnradio.com/2018/04/22/the-art-and-science-of-hostage-negotiation/
Mental Health Policing in America
Here is a link to more information about the issue of Mental Health/The Mentally Ill and Law Enforcement:
https://qualitypolicing.com/divert_to_where/
2018 Hostage Negotiator Competition and Seminar Story
https://lcu.edu/about-lcu/news/article/detail/News/dr-andy-young-presents-and-judges-at-2018-hostage-negotiator-conference-and-competition/hash/a88aa0c6957dd101d52058b268460535/
Lubbock Police Train Special
Mental Health Police Officers
A month after Lubbock police responded to a suicidal male on Texas Tech campus, two officers were awarded the department’s Life Saving award.
During the early morning hours of Sept. 13, Lubbock police officers Thomas Thompson and Jarred Dalton knew they had to make a connection with an 18-year-old Hispanic male who was threatening to jump after he reportedly climbed scaffolding on the Texas Tech campus and was threatening to end his life.
Thompson and Dalton are Mental Health Officers with the Lubbock Police Department. Currently, about 15 mental health officers also serve as the department’s negotiators.
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e male — who was more than 30 feet high — paced back and forth on three feet of ledge. Thompson and Dalton knew they had to intervene in a cautious and timely manner.
To become Mental Health Officers, Dalton and Thompson completed a week-long course where they got a brief overview of mental disorders, how to deal with those suffering from mental illness and what resources available to to receive treatment.
While the negotiators are required to take the course, Dalton said they all have a heart for the work and want to assist those in dire need of a helping hand.
Members of the team also have other duties within the department, which can also be beneficial with their two-week, on-call rotations.
The demand for these officers are high. Last year, on-duty officers responded to an estimated 2,600 suicidal subject calls, according to Officer Kimberlee Crain.
Crain — who also serves as the LPD Crisis Intervention Team coordinator — says their role is to provide some relief to patrol officers.
“This is just a little bit of something that we try to help out with,” she said. “While they’re trained to deal with it, it shouldn’t necessarily be the job of the patrol officer, but it falls on the patrol officer, and if we can alleviate that a little bit then that’s definitely something that we try to do for them.”
Dalton said he tries to lend his assistance to mental-health-related calls while on patrol — which is what prompted officers to step into action on the Tech campus on that night.
LPD received word of a man who was possibly on narcotics and had left the hospital after being admitted; the IV was still in his arm.
Dalton, who was on patrol, said a supervisor notified him and Thompson of the situation and they arrived on scene after 1 a.m., where they found the man, who appeared to be suffering from hallucinations.
Other members of the team went to work to find out information on the man. With the help of LPD Officer Tye Edwards, the officers were able to identify him and continued to work to develop rapport — a task that took more than an hour.
As other first responders arrived on scene, the two could see the man’s condition was worsening and he was turning his paranoia toward Thompson.
They talked with him about tattoos and sports, finally connecting with him by speaking about a beloved family member.
Dr. Andy Young, who has been with the team for about 17 years, said making that connection is critical in life-or-death situations.
“One of the things that we’re looking for are things that are important to him,” he said. “Things that might help us gain some traction, and try to motivate him to do the right thing.On the flip side of that are things that we want to avoid, things that might make him angry and agitated.”
Once that bond was created, the men were able to successfully reach him with the help of Lubbock Fire Rescue crews as they manned a bucket on an engine and brought him down to safety.
Detective David Schrieber, who was also on scene and assisted, said he hopes this new asset to the department changes the public’s view on policing and mental health.
He said it is important for people to know that calling for help doesn’t equate jail time as they can connect people to the appropriate resources for the situation on hand.
“Everyone is going to have a bad day,” he said, “and you’re just dealing with that person on their bad day. It’s just a bad day, we’re going to get through it and you’re going to be fine.”
After being on the team for more than a decade, Young said he is excited to be working alongside well-trained individuals as their experience grows with each call.
Over time, Thompson said, people’s views on mental health are starting to change and as a team they are working to help expedite that process.
“I think as our society becomes more aware of how many people struggle with mental health issues,” he said, “it can be overwhelming to look at the numbers, but realize they’re all people. This could be your family member, this could be your loved one, a friend, a coworker.
“Anyone can experience crisis, and so it’s nice to know that we have the training the willingness to say, ‘You’re a human being, just like me. We just want to help you.’”
Link to the AJ Article: http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/news/2017-11-05/lubbock-police-train-special-mental-health-officers
Psychological Consultant with a Hostage Negotiating Team - What IS That?
It is relatively uncommon for a mental health professional (MHP) to become a member of a police department, sheriff's office, or state police department's hostage (crisis) negotiating team (HNT), even though there is evidence for the inclusion of an MHP leading to more peaceful callout resolution in the case of a hostage taking and a reduction in the number of callouts that end with tactical action being taken (see Butler et al, 1993 for more). For a minority of departments the inclusion of a MHP has been a common practice for many years. But what are the duties of a MHP on an HNT? Before I address this question I would like to advocate for a change in terms. I submit that instead of MHP our profession should use the term Psychological Consultant because MHP is a very broad term and may not clearly denote the duties performed by a MHP as part of an HNT on a SWAT callout.
So what do Psychological Consultants do when part of an HNT? I can speak from my own experience these last 17 years, and can also reference what I have learned from other HNT Psychological Consultants across the US and Canada. Common duties include:
1) Assisting the HNT by listening in on negotiations and suggesting methods and phrases for effective communication.
2) Listening in on negotiations and identifying psychiatric and other conditions that may be influencing negotiations, and then suggesting strategies for communicating.
3) Monitoring the team for stress or other factors that may influence ongoing negotiations.
4) Assisting with communication among the officers responding to an incident.
5) Assisting with the interview and debriefing of witnesses and those involved in an incident.
6) Assisting with suicide and violence risk assessment and prediction.
7) Assisting the HNT via ongoing training leadership and participation.
8) Assisting with new HNT member selection.
There are other duties I, and other Psychological Consultants do on-scene, but this list serves as a starting place and description of the most common duties.
I thoroughly enjoy my work as a Psychological Consultant on a number of HNT's. One reason for this, among many, is because an HNT sometimes has a chance to influence and change a situation instead of having to react to it. The peaceful resolution of a tense and seemingly impossible and deadly situation is a very gratifying experience. Kudos to all the Psychological Consultants giving of themselves to do this great work!
LPD Negotiator Discusses SWAT Callout
By: Elizabeth Lane
http://www.everythinglubbock.com
Posted: Feb 20, 2017 06:39 PM CST
Updated: Feb 20, 2017 06:39 PM CST
LUBBOCK TX - What Lubbock Police were treating as a potential hostage situation ended peacefully Sunday, partially in thanks to an experienced team of negotiators.
Officer Coby McBroom was just one of 15 negotiators on the case, saying in high-pressure situations, it takes a team to get the job done. McBroom said they train often and are more than prepared for any situation they might face.
"We, as negotiators, have to have that empathy and the ability to invest ourselves in that person and get to understand them and know them, and figure what is going on in their life, and why they're feeling the way they're feeling."
The Officer said each person on their team is competent in all areas of negotiation, and ready to go when they're called upon. Once the on-call Sergeant assigns responsibilities, the team jumps into action.
"They'll divide up who's going to be the primary negotiator, who's going to be the back-up, who's going to be intelligence, who's going to start gathering the intelligence, who's going to set up the command vehicle...so that we can start our negotiation process."
The key to a successful outcome is being prepared for anything.
"They just lay it all out and we roll right through it, and it doesn't really matter if it's a hostage situation, if it's a barricaded subject, if it's a suicidal subject, the steps are the same," McBroom said, "If you keep the steps the same, you work through your processes the same, everything runs a lot smoother, and it makes a more competent and more efficient team."
And another major key: finding a connection with the person on the other end.
"When someone's in crisis and they're having an issue, you've got to build that rapport...and if you don't [build that rapport] you're not going to get anything accomplished, at least nothing positive," McBroom said.
For the Officer, being a negotiator is more than just a job. He said he wants to get people the help they need.
"The risk involved with being a negotiator is no different than the risk involved with being a cop, and when we all chose to put the badge on, we understand the inherent, the risks involved in our job. You do the job because you love the job, regardless of the risk."
LPD: Shooting suspect in custody after Monday night SWAT standoff
Published Monday, February 20th 2017, 9:50 pm EST
Updated Tuesday, February 21st 2017, 11:22 am EST
http://www.kcbd.com
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) -
A SWAT team was called to a residence in the 2800 block of 35th Street Monday night, where a shooting suspect barricaded himself in a home.
Negotiators were able to establish communication with the suspect and the situation was resolved peacefully around 9:15 p.m.
Police received word of a shooting at the residence around 7:45 p.m. after a victim with a gunshot wound reported the incident and gave a detailed description of the suspect.
Police went to the residence and a male matching the description of the suspect answered the door and saw police. He then ran back inside and barricaded himself in the home. SWAT was called to the scene after a shot was fired from inside the residence.
The gunshot victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was able to walk to a relative's house and was then taken to the hospital by private vehicle.
The suspect, 37-year-old Lanny Sanders, is now facing charges of aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and discharge of a firearm in a municipality. He is being held in the Lubbock County Detention Center where a bond has not been set yet.
Police say the car parked in front of the home was also listed as stolen.
Copyright 2017 KCBD. All rights reserved.
Fight or Flight: Dr. Andy Young releases book based on law enforcement experiences
By LUCINDA HOLT
A-J MEDIA
http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/2016-10-11/fight-or-flight-dr-andy-young-releases-book-based-law-enforcement
In 2000, the Lubbock Police Department developed its Victim Services Crisis Team with Dr. Andy Young providing assistance with his background in counseling.
Tackling a different type of task a year later, Young was faced with one of the most difficult challenges in his career when had to assist in a SWAT team call out in which an officer was shot and killed in a friendly fire situation.
“And so it would be early on,” Young said, “and the officers didn’t know me, and so to have something so tragic and difficult happen — that was a very trying time for everybody — and I learned a lot and had to do a lot on the fly.”
Young said he often reflects on this story during conferences, and it is one of many in a 13-chapter book he wrote titled, “Fight or Flight: Negotiating Crisis on the Front Line.”
The idea of compiling his stories came from a conference after Young was approached by a fellow speaker who suggested he write a book.
Taking the advice, Young began putting the idea into motion as he worked from stories he had already composed.
If a call weighed heavily on Young, he said he would write it down for the therapeutic component, but after he got serious, the process took more than a year.
With the help of family and friends, editors and his publishing company, Young said his book was finally able to come to fruition and he has received positive feedback ever since.
“I started with the last chapter,” he read a reader’s email aloud. “Powerful and succinct work, but even more importantly, I cried.”
The tales are Young’s own from his experience on the team.
With stories involving several themes, Young details the work and stress of the team as they come in and help when emotions are high.
According to the LPD website, the volunteer team assists victims by providing a variety of on-scene services including counseling.
“At the request of a police officer,” the team’s statement reads, “the Crisis Team volunteers will respond to victims, families, and friends involved in crisis situations such as assaults, suicides or threats of suicide, family violence/domestic disturbances, child abuse/neglect, homicide, suicide, traffic accidents, etc.”
Lubbock police Lt. Mike Steen said the team comes in handy as they step in and fill the void after police leave a scene.
In a time of crisis, he said, people are often left with questions and the team will assist with further information in order to help families reach the next step in healing.
Steen said the book helps show how Dr. Young and the team helps put families’ lives back together, while showing the behind-the-scene side of policing that is not shown on tv.
One of those scenes discussed in the book, are death notifications.
Young said his book details the emotions involved for both victims and police, as families learn of the passing of their loved one.
Sometimes knocking on a stranger’s door in the middle of the night, people receive the news from officers.
Stories like this can be found through the pages, as Young gives about four to five tales per chapter.
Originally published on October 27, 2015, Young has been speaking at conferences and promoting his book in an effort to give people an inside look at the perils and passion that comes with a career in law enforcement.
As the team of 35 work in assisting those faced with crisis, he said its easy for the public to judge policing based on half-truths.
“I think our society is making a mistake making these judgments just based on that and getting emotional about things based on partial information or based on what they believed to be true.”
While he calls the book’s timing coincidental in relation to societal tensions involving law enforcement, he said it can be beneficial for the kinds of conversations people are having these days.
Echoing Young, Steen said the book will help show readers how police are human, and like everyone else, they have families.
Even though they feel the emotional affects of their duties, someone has to do the work.
Young said he hopes the honest-telling of these stories will help provide some insight to the hardships law enforcement faces on a daily basis.
“It’s hard to summarize 16 years in a book,” Young said, “but there’s a start.”