The Good Life – November-December 2015

The training exercises as well as
other officers supply a steady stream
of educational opportunities. In
fact, one of the biggest benefits of
being a member of the negotiations
unit is the opportunity to apply
the skills in other situations.
“You really learn to say the right
things and how to be respectful,”
Stanton said. “You have to learn
to understand what a person is
actually saying.”
Successfully dealing with crisis
situations provides team members
with the ability to deal with
stressful situations outside of work.
Stanton said learning how to gain
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other people’s trust as well as how
to effectively communicate are
fringe other benefits.
As a Patrol Lieutenant and Supervisor
in the Moorhead Police Department,
Swenson uses his negotiation
skills when dealing with
employees or citizens. “We don’t
handle situations with violence,”
he explained. “It’s not always the
role people expect law enforcement
to be in…our team is about
not using force.”
Negotiations Unit 101
Every member of the negotiations
unit has a specific job to complete
when called to a situation. Here’s
a primer of the different roles that
need to be filled:
Primary: The person talking with
the individual in crisis. Being the
primary means listening carefully
to what the individual is saying
and interpreting various pieces of
information that could derail or
improve the conversation.
Coach: The team member tasked
with listening to the conversation
and providing insight to the
primary alone. Only communicates
with the primary through passed
notes or whispered comments.