The Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT) consists of police officers trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a police psychologist serving as a mental health consultant in negotiation techniques. HNT intervenes in crisis situations to minimize the potential for loss of life by attempting to resolve incidents using negotiation skills.
Generally, the HNT is deployed wherever there may be an armed, barricaded subject within the county’s jurisdiction. The HNT has been called upon by other law enforcement agencies requiring this specialized service too.
The HNT utilizes a nationally recognized, team-concept technique that assigns specific interconnected support tasks throughout the negotiation process. Moreover, the HNT conducts joint training exercises with the FBI and is often deployed together with our Special Response Team in the execution of high-risk search warrants or arrests where a hostage or armed barricade situation may evolve.