Negotiating with Hostage Takers: Myth or Reality?

[petergreat]

I hear news about hostage takers shot by police every now and then. One thing that puzzles me endlessly is that the police always "negotiate" first. I'm wondering whether the police really mean to negotiate? For example, if the hostage taker demands "let me get away with it and don't arrest me over any of my previous crimes", would the police ever consider accepting his demand? The tricky thing is, it's illegal to accept such a demand. Are there any demands that the police may actually accept? (Assuming the police really mean to negotiate, which I seriously doubt...)

 

[DaveC426913]

The police negotiate ideally in order to bring them around to surrendering.

 

[Evo]

I hear news about hostage takers shot by police every now and then. One thing that puzzles me endlessly is that the police always "negotiate" first. I'm wondering whether the police really mean to negotiate? For example, if the hostage taker demands "let me get away with it and don't arrest me over any of my previous crimes", would the police ever consider accepting his demand? The tricky thing is, it's illegal to accept such a demand. Are there any demands that the police may actually accept? (Assuming the police really mean to negotiate, which I seriously doubt...)

They will negotiate the safe release of the hostages and sentences will go lighter if the criminals cooperate.

Let them go scot free after what they did, never.

 

[DaveC426913]

Right. That too.

The longer the cops cooperate and the nicer they are, the more hostages may be released to safety. No matter what happens subsequently, they will have saved those lives.

 

[Pengwuino]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the United States, aren't police allowed to lie to suspects in this situation?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the United States, aren't police allowed to lie to suspects in this situation?

Allowed to?

Did you ever see The Far Side cartoon: "Hey! They're lighting their arrows! Can they do that?"

 

[DaveC426913]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the United States, aren't police allowed to lie to suspects in this situation?

Heck, police are allowed to lie to people that they have in custody.

"You're buddy rolled on ya, see? Says the caper was all you. He's going to walk and you're going to fry. Yyyeah fry. Like butta."

 

[Office_Shredder]

According to TV, the hostage takers will demand to not be followed as they leave for the airport, but they always are.

Negotiations can include very mundane demands by the hostage takers, like food and water (keep in mind they're stuck in the building for at least hours) or electricity (because the electricity to the building can be cut). It's not a big deal to give them these in exchange for a hostage or to extend any deadlines they may give, especially since these are being provided to the hostages at the same time

 

[CRGreathouse]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the United States, aren't police allowed to lie to suspects in this situation?

Outside the witness stand, when can't they?

 

[petergreat]

According to TV, the hostage takers will demand to not be followed as they leave for the airport, but they always are.

That's exactly why I think criminals taking hostage on the streets are complete idiots. There's no favor that the police can really give you. (Food & water? A simpler way to get them is simply releasing the hostage! Lighter sentence? I think that's decided by the court rather than the police.)
The only situation in which hostage takers may actually gain something is when they are a group of terrorists rather than a single person who can be shot dead at any moment, and when the hostages are in some enclosed space (like the theatre in Russia) rather than on the street.
Anyway, it shouldn't surprise anyone that many criminals are idiots and these frightening yet hilarious hostage dramas hapeen over and over again.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Don't negotiate with them for my sake. Tell them that if they shoot me no one will compensate them for the cost of the bullet.

 

[FlexGunship]

Don't negotiate with them for my sake. Tell them that if they shoot me no one will compensate them for the cost of the bullet.

What with the cost of lead on the rise, and all...

Source: http://www.metalprices.com/FreeSite/metals/pb/pb.asp

EDIT: Sorry, I always get flak for not citing my claims.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

... many criminals are idiots and these frightening yet hilarious hostage dramas happen over and over again.

Idiots of course, are unaware of both statistics and history (i.e. the success rate of previous hostage attempts).

 

[skeptic2]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but in the United States, aren't police allowed to lie to suspects in this situation?

A cop once told me civilians are not allowed to lie to police but police are allowed to lie to civilians. They're allowed to say anything in order to get you to do what they want.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Hence why some people (especially defence attorneys) argue you should NEVER talk to the police:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865

 

[Proton Soup]

Hence why some people (especially defence attorneys) argue you should NEVER talk to the police:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865

excellent! i was just thinking about that guy. one should always assume an officer is lying. it's part of his job.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

excellent! i was just thinking about that guy. one should always assume an officer is lying. it's part of his job.

I like in the middle of the presentation when the officer is talking he admits that "their" job is to get you to talk before the attorneys get to you, and the attorney's job is to get there before the officers get you to start talking.

Makes you think for sure, and makes me think twice about "telling your side of the story" to police. It's quite a revelation that whatever you have to say could have negative impacts whether you're an innocent victim or not... I like to think of the police as on my side as a law-abiding citzen, but if for some reason I'm investigated for something I'm most likely taking this lawyer's advice.

 

[Andre]

As I have learned in the past, the main objective dealing with hostage takers / kidnappers is to make them lose, the message being, it does not pay to try and take hostages, try it and you lose, always. Because if the government just go along and play their game, there will be more and more hostage situations.

Given that, everything is tried to prevent having victims but that stays just short of having crime to win. Hence the tactic is stalling and gaining time with talk with whatever is possible. But the main message remains: crime doesn't pay.

 

[Proton Soup]

much of the hostage negotiator's job, i think, is simply to establish confidence with the hostage taker. negotiators are confidence men. con men. they accomplish several things along the way. better evaluate the situation. find out how many and who exactly. get the hostage taker to accept items (phones, etc.) to place surveillance devices in the room with him, probably giving up a hostage with his security. in the meantime, a human bond is being forged between them. pretend like you're on his side. maybe fire a bullet through his head as soon as he steps too close to a window. or rush in when he puts too much distance between himself and his hostages.

 

[BobG]

That's exactly why I think criminals taking hostage on the streets are complete idiots. There's no favor that the police can really give you. (Food & water? A simpler way to get them is simply releasing the hostage! Lighter sentence? I think that's decided by the court rather than the police.)
The only situation in which hostage takers may actually gain something is when they are a group of terrorists rather than a single person who can be shot dead at any moment, and when the hostages are in some enclosed space (like the theatre in Russia) rather than on the street.
Anyway, it shouldn't surprise anyone that many criminals are idiots and these frightening yet hilarious hostage dramas hapeen over and over again.

Ever hear of the Kubler-Ross model and its five stages of grief?

Sometimes, negotiations are simply intended to drag things out long enough for the hostage takers to move through their denial stage, anger stage, bargaining stage, depression stage and on to the acceptance stage where any small benefits the hostage takers may gain becomes more than enough rationalization for bringing the incident to an end peacefully.

 

[skeptic2]

For another take on dealing with hostage takers, see the movie Ransom.

 

[DaveC426913]

For another take on dealing with hostage takers, see the movie Ransom.

Never saw it. It looked too ... foregone. As in, the premise is just an excuse for an ***-kicking conclusion.

Kind of like that J Lo film 'Enough'. The premise (that she's abused) is just an excuse for her to kick ***. Never saw it either.

Come to think of it, Independence Day was the same thing. There was never any middle part, where humans were actually oppressed (what exactly are they achieving Independence from?)