Basic Hostage Negotiations

On October 4, 1971, a private aircraft was hijacked and landed in Jacksonville, Florida.  The FBI was notified and handled the incident.  There were two armed suspects on the plane; they said they had 12.5 pounds of plastic explosive.  There were two pilots on board.  One of the suspects had taken his wife hostage; she was on board. One pilot was allowed to leave the plane.  One suspect left the plane and was arrested.  The FBI agents arbitrarily decided to discontinue negotiations (their policy was to negotiate) and used automobiles to block the plane.  An agent approached the plane on foot and shots were fired at him.  Agents shot out the tires of the plane, and its engine.  The suspect killed both hostages and wounded himself. The family of the pilot sued the FBI.   The court said agents had a duty to choose a course of action that would maximize the safety of the hostages.  The court said when a waiting game is successful an assault is not reasonable. This Course provides the student with the knowledge and successful techniques for Hostage negotiations. It encompasses the psychological theories and personality types of the “Hostage Taker” and strategies for negotiating. Learning Objectives We wish to thank Captain Perry Gilmore of the Amarillo Police Department for assisting us in this venture of providing state-of-the art training for law enforcement officers. This course is awarded 40 CEU's from Texas State Technical College-Waco