Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT)

The Grants Pass Police Department maintains a team of specially-trained personnel to deal with incidents involving hostage or barricaded subjects. This team is known as the Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) and has been in existence since 1997.

Purpose

The Grants Pass Police Department uses (CNT) to develop communication with barricaded subjects and to attempt a safe surrender without harm to any person. Deployment of (CNT) can be in response to an existing situation, or they can be deployed proactively if a situation of expected or potentially high risk is anticipated.

Duties

(CNT) has both sworn and non-sworn members of the Grants Pass Police Department. Members of the team are trained to function in all relevant positions within the negotiations setting and train with members of the SWAT team. The intent of (CNT) is to be capable of functioning in the following areas:

• Provide an initial response to hostage situations or barricaded subjects
• Accompany members of the SWAT Team during high-risk warrant service; this may include accompanying outside tactical teams responding with or without the SWAT Team
• Assist as necessary during dignitary and other special protection details and response to civil disorder incidents
• Offer specialized training to other departmental personnel

Team Members

The team is composed of a team leader, a senior negotiator, 2 police negotiators, and 1 scribe.

Training

All team members, including the scribe, have received a minimum of a 40-hour basic hostage negotiators course. All sworn personnel have received an additional 40-hour advanced hostage negotiators course. All team members participate in ongoing training to continue to develop their skills.