Crisis Negotiation Team

The Washington County Sheriffs Office has a Crisis Negotiation team trained to deal with hostage negotiation and crisis situations which could include people threatening to commit suicide, or distraught citizens threatening to kill or harm another person.

The officers study different crisis scenario situations, psychological profiling, interpersonal skills and communication techniques to assist them during their negotiations.

The goal is always to resolve these situations without using violence or force.

During the last seven years the team has responded to several such situations and all have been resolved peacefully.

One officer makes the initial contact with the person in crisis and continues to negotiate with them while the other team members gather background information on the person for use by the negotiator.

It is a tough and crucial role the Sheriffs Office plays because in today’s stressful world, crisis situations will continue to occur.