Crisis Negotiations Unit

The San Juan Police Department Crisis Negotiations Unit (CNU) responds to incidents in which negotiation with an offender is needed for the safe release of hostages and for the resolution of an incident. These incidents may involve hostages, barricaded persons, or suicidal persons.

Our Goal is Safety

The primary goal in any incident is the unharmed release of all hostages. Where there are no hostages, and no other citizens or police are in jeopardy, our objective is to have the individual submit to law enforcement personnel without incident.

Training

Before a new CNU member can actively participate in an actual hostage incident, he or she must complete a five-day regional crisis negotiations training class. All team members participate in monthly training that consists of either classroom instruction or a mock scenario that parallels an actual hostage/barricaded person incident. In addition, the team leader and assistant team leaders have attended numerous basic and advanced seminars throughout the state and are members of the Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators.

The San Juan Police Department Crisis Negotiations Unit (CNU) has successfully resolved the surrender of numerous violent offenders without incident too including murder suspects.

Fast Response with a Team Approach

The San Juan Police Department (CNU) consists of one Sergeant and three Negotiators. For response-time purposes, the team is on-call 24/7. With this approach, San Juan Police CNU can guarantee a trained negotiator will be on-scene at a crisis incident within a short period of time.

At least 2 CNU members are used in a hostage or barricaded person incident. When used appropriately, a team approach greatly reduces the liability factor for the police and city. In addition, the CNU has an “on-call” psychologist who can help develop personality profiles of suspects and suggest rapport-building techniques.