HOSTAGE/BARRICADED SUBJECT INCIDENTS Model Policy Effective Date October 31, 1991 Number Subject Hostage/Barricaded Subject Incidents Reference Special Instructions Distribution Reevaluation Date November 1, 1992 No. Pages 2 I. PURPOSE It is the purpose of this policy to provide general guidelines for handling hostage/barricaded subject situations. II. POLICY In hostage/barricaded subject situations it shall be the policy of this law enforcement agency to consider the lives of the hostages, civilians and officers involved to be of the utmost importance; whenever possible, to enhance the prospects of peacefully resolving the incident through communication with the suspect; whenever possible, to develop and maintain the ability to use alternative approaches to resolve the incident should communications fail; and in hostage situations, to make every reasonable effort to effect the safe release of the hostages. III. DEFINITIONS A. Barricaded Subject: Any individual who is reasonably believed to be a threat to commit serious bodily injury or death to hostages, officers or others in the community and who is in a stronghold position. B. Hostage: Any person held by another against his will by force or threat of force, expressed or implied. IV. PROCEDURES A. Patrol Officers Patrol officers confronting hostage/barricaded subject incidents shall not initiate tactical actions other than those necessary to protect the lives and safety of themselves or others consistent with this department's use of force policy. Officers shall then 1. notify a supervisory officer of the incident and circumstances; 2. contain and isolate the incident scene, establishing an inner containment perimeter to provide a reasonable degree of safety while maintaining contact with the incident scene andCas time and resources permitCestablish an outer containment perimeter to control pedestrian and vehicular traffic into the area; and 3. whenever possible, evacuate occupants of affected residences and businesses to a point beyond the perimeter. B. Officer in Command (OIC) The ranking officer at the scene shall be in command until specifically relieved by a superior. The OIC shall 1. inform the watch commander about the nature and circumstances surrounding the incident; 2. delegate the tactical mission to the OIC of the tactical response team; 3. ensure development of a communications/negotiations process and an emergency response team reaction; 4. ensure establishment of an inner and outer perimeter, command post, tactical operations center, negotiations center and a staging area for officers and others arriving for assignment; 5. assign a press center and an officer for press liaison; 6. ensure that responsibility for traffic and crowd control is established, and that routes for emergency vehicles have been designated; 7. make provisions for recording personnel assignments and developing a chronological record of events at the command center and tactical operations center; 8. ensure that necessary equipment from the fire department is made available at the staging area together with any other units or equipment such as canine teams, aviation or marine units; and 9. ensure that emergency medical services are available at the site. C. Tactical Response Team Commander The commander of the tactical response team shall 1. assist the OIC in assessing the situation and formulate and provide the OIC with recommended tactical alternatives should communications with the subject fail to resolve the incident; 2. determine equipment needs and assign personnel to control and contain the inner perimeter 3. designate marksmen and entry teams as necessary; 4. ensure that personnel manning the inner perimeter maintain firearms discipline and are provided with periodic relief by appropriate tactical response team members; 5. prepare appropriate logistical plans to include diagrams of the location in question; 6. ensure the establishment of a tactical operations center if necessary; and 7. maintain contact with and keep the command post informed of all developments and operations. D. Hostage Communications Team The individual in charge of communicating with the subject shall 1. provide any requested assistance to the OIC; 2. provide trained primary and secondary negotiators and, as available and necessary, a negotiations investigator 3. obtain all pertinent information about the hostage taker, the hostages, hostage site and other barricaded subjects; 4. designate a location to interview witnesses, released hostages and others; and 5. debrief hostages following the incident. E. Psychological Services Psychological services shall serve as a resource to the hostage communications team and will 1. monitor communications between the negotiators and subjects and provide negotiators with assessments of effectiveness, recommended strategies and other relevant information; 2. assist in interviewing witnesses and debriefing hostages; and 3. provide professional assistance to hostages, witnesses and others as may be necessary. This project was supported by Grant No. 87-SN-CX-K077 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, coordinates the activities of the following program offices and bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office of Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice. Every effort has been made by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center staff and advisory board to ensure that this model policy incorporates the most current information and contemporary professional judgment on this issue. However, law enforcement administrators should be cautioned that no "model" policy can meet all the needs of any given law enforcement agency. Each law enforcement agency operates in a unique environment of federal court rulings, state laws, local ordinances, regulations, judicial and administrative decisions and collective bargaining agreements that must be considered. In addition, the formulation of specific agency policies must take into account local political and community perspectives and customs, prerogatives and demands; often divergent law enforcement strategies and philosophies, and the impact of varied agency resource capabilities among other factors.