Understanding Crisis Dynamics and Response Strategies

In the span of a police officer’s career there are many incidents that a crisis may arise, a hostage situation being one, is a very stressful for an officer to encounter (Harmening, 2014). The importance of communication is the key goal of rescuing an innocent person’s life, without it there would be no positive outcome (Harmening, 2014). With extensive training law enforcement officials are prepared to handle these types of dangerous situations, reaching towards a safe release of the hostage or a safe rescue (Harmening, 2014).

Hostage Takers

There are four types of hostage takers; criminal, ideological, domestic, frustration driven and thought-disordered (Harmening, 2014). The two of which will be discussed in this paper are criminal hostage takers and domestic hostage takers. Criminal hostage takers use hostages to achieve two things; reach their desired goals or to get out of a set of circumstances (Harmening, 2014). This revolves around purposeful criminal hostage taking, which is the act of doing the crime for a reason (Harmening, 2014). Whereas a defensive criminal hostage taker has no intent to take a hostage but as events unfold, the perpetrator is pressured into making that decision (Harmening, 2014). Usually the situation they are in they are in the commission of another offence or just in a sheer panic (Harmening, 2014). This is dangerous because as the crisis continues to worsen it can cause the perpetrator to become agitated and unpredictable (Harmening, 2014). An example of a purposeful hostage taker would be a perpetrator kidnapping and holding a hostage for their own wants and needs. As for a defensive criminal hostage taker, an example would be taking a cab driver hostage to get to a specific destination as cops are chasing them.

Danger and Success Signs

There are many danger signs when a hostage situation occurs, it’s important for the negotiator to know when there needs to be other measures taken and hands off the situation to the tactical team (Harmening, 2014). An example of this would be if the hostage taker is in a very agitated state and is threatening to kill the hostage if there is any negotiation. In opposition of danger signs are success signs, which are peaceful resolutions (Harmening, 2014). An example of a success sign is when a hostage taker is willing to be out in the open and is expressing what they want and why. This shows vulnerability that they want to get out of the situation in a peaceful way.

Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological change in a hostage that causes them to develop a bond with their captors during captivity (Harming, 2014). When police arrive to help hostages after the support from their captors they sometimes work against police. An example in the media is that of nineteen-year-old Patty Hearst. On February 4, 1974, during the morning a group of domestic terrorists with firearms broke into Hearst’s apartment (Sweeney, G. 2016). Hearst’s fiancé was beaten up, and Hearst put into the trunk of a car (Sweeney, G. 2016). The FBI gained knowledge that Hearst’s abductors identified themselves as the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and their goal was to wage war with the United States (Sweeney, G 2016). By their own admission, they abducted Hearst for financial and political leverage (Sweeney, G. 2016).

In April 1974, the case took a turn: Patty Hearst had joined her captors. She assisted in a bank robbery and started traveling around the country after a shootout (Sweeney, G. 2016). She was finally captured in San Francisco on September 18, 1975 and sentenced to seven years in prison for robbery. Hearst claimed to have been brainwashed and only two years before her sentence was commuted and later pardoned (Sweeney, G. 2016). This is an example of Stockholm syndrome because she became close with her captors, even enough to announce her involvement was to be a revolutionary (Sweeney, G. 2016). Committing a robbery for that sake shows the deep connection she had with her captors, that she was willing to work amongst them.

Conclusion

Hostage situations are life or death which makes it an extremely sensitive and stressful issue. There are many turns it can take but with proper training a negotiator can potentially defuse the problem. Learning the danger and success signs is important to determine what the outcome might be and hoe to attend to the hostage taker. Lastly, Stockholm Syndrome when a hostage becomes attached to their captor and it creates an unhealthy bond. This is important for police to be aware of incase there is action taken on them by the hostage. Overall, having a plan and general idea to peacefully defuse is important in a crisis involving a hostage.

References

1. Sweeney, G. (2016) 6 chilling cases of Stockholm Syndrome. Retrieved on November 28, 2019 from, https://the-line-up.com/stockholm-syndrome
2. W.H. Harmening. (2014). Crisis Intervention: The Criminal Justice Response to Chaos,
3. Mayhem, and Disorder. Retrieved on November 28, 2019.