Hostage/Crisis Negotiators
The Atlantic City Police Division’s Crisis/Hostage Negotiation Team is a part of the agency’s Emergency Response Team. The mission of the Crisis/Hostage Negotiation Team is to safely resolve situations where human life is in jeopardy. The primary tools of the negotiation team are communication, patience, and training. The situations most frequently encountered are barricaded criminals, armed and threatening to harm hostages, themselves, the general public and the Police, and suicide situations. The incidence of negotiators finding themselves faced with suicidal persons has been on the increase. The name change from Hostage negotiation to Crisis/Hostage negotiation reflects the changing role of the Team. Recent training has also emphasized the suicide crisis/negotiation aspects.
The original Hostage Negotiation Team was started in 1979 with a proposal by at that time Atlantic City Police Detective Michael Erskine. Erskine’s 1979 report asked for and proposed "… implementation of Standard Procedure for hostage negotiation situations." The proposal was accepted under then Chief Joseph Allmond. The modern Atlantic City Police Division Hostage Negotiation Team was born. The original members were Sgt. Erskine, Det. Duane Brock, Det. John Heenan, Officer Mitchell Levin, Officer Michael Dreager and Officer Kenneth Brown. Brown and Dreager remain members of the Team today, more than twenty years later! Sgt. Erskine is now Deputy Chief Erskine and is the overall Commander of the Emergency Response team. The teams in those days consisted of between five and eight members, all trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Erskine headed the team and did so until the early 1990’s. The Hostage Negotiation Team trained on a regular basis with the SWAT members and Command post personnel. The Team also attended regular training in negotiation and electronic communication. A hostage "throw phone" and other state of the art equipment were purchased. The team was involved in several high profile situations during these days, including stand-offs with armed persons with shots being fired. No loss of life or serious injury resulted. It was always a joint effort between the SWAT team and the negotiators.
In the 1990’s the team was slowly expanded as the original members were retiring or advancing in rank. The FBI and the New Jersey State Police trained new members in negotiations. Members of the Atlantic City Fire Division also gave training in high story work. The skills needed to work high above ground level would pay off more than once. Team members were also given tactical training, including rappelling down the side of buildings, advanced weapons training and entry techniques. With the increase in suicide attempts, many being high profile acts in the late 1990’s, the role of the negotiators became more in line with acute suicide intervention. Called to the scene of persons desperate enough to leap many building stories to their death, the negotiators faced new challenges. Recent training has included the entire team being instructed by Crisis Negotiation Associates, Inc. and by former FBI Agent and FBI Academy Instructor Fredrick Lanceley. This negotiation training centered on suicide intervention.
The team has been expanded to three squads and six members on each squad. Each squad works as a team and is backed up by the other squads. Recently during a very long negotiation with a man armed with a shotgun, another suicide attempt occurred on a local casino rooftop. Two squads were on the scene of the shotgun incident; the third squad was called in to handle the second incident. The three-squad implementation plan paid off on that day! The Team recently acquired new state of the art communications equipment, capable of establishing communications with suspects in almost any situation. Regular training is conducted using role players and based upon real life situations examined throughout the world. Deputy Chief Michael Erskine has succeeded Chief Arthur Snellbaker, former Commander of the entire Emergency Response Team upon Chief Snellbaker’s elevation to the rank of Chief, 1 May 2000. Captain William McKnight, who has been a Team member since 1981, heads the current Crisis/Hostage Team. The eighteen-member team consists of various Officers with many diverse backgrounds and levels of experience. A Sergeant supervises each squad. All members are issued electronic pagers and are available upon call.
Further inquiries regarding the Atlantic City Police Division Crisis/ Hostage negotiation can be directed to Chief Arthur Snellbaker or Deputy Chief Michael Erskine at 609 347-6970 or Captain William McKnight at 609 343-3772 or at pager 609 525-6966
