hostage negotiators
Captive release specialists
Hostage negotiators are specialists trained to communicate with people holding captives, typically working to secure release without violence.
They use psychology, patience, and rapport-building to de-escalate volatile situations: The hostage negotiators kept him talking for six hours.
Police departments and federal agencies employ them for kidnappings, barricades, and standoffs.
The term extends metaphorically to anyone mediating high-stakes disputes.
- policeCivil law enforcement
- officerAuthority figure in uniform
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
- de-escalationReducing conflict intensity
- rapport buildingCultivating mutual understanding
chief · ransom · crisis management · proof of life · communication · captain · Stockholm syndrome · stand down · active listening · commander · talks · buy time · behavioral analysis · detectives · threat assessment · bargaining · militants · demands
hostage negotiatorsSWAT teams
Specialized police crisis squads
special forces · shock troops · tactical units · snipers · sniper teams
hostage negotiatorshostage takers
Those seizing people for leverage
kidnappers · captors · abductors · hijackers · terrorists
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