The key to a successful hostage negotiation is keeping the person on the other end of the line calm is the first step. The goal is to end the situation in a peaceful manner but that is easier said than done.
"I make people die. Well nobody has to die today." (re-enactment)
A very scary situation for everyone involved. Luckily today's hostage crisis is all a part of a training session.
"Teaching them skills and strategies for how to deal with people who more often than not are committed to either killing themselves or often times killing other people if they're holding hostages, and talk them through that, and move them through a train of action that moves them to a peaceful resolution," says Dr. Mitchell Hammer.
While Harrisonburg police officers receive monthly training, this week's session was cutting edge.
"Anything we can get outside our agency, obviously, is going to help us," says Sergeant Cindy Cull-Wright. "We can develop what works for our team, by bringing in certain strategies, certain techniques, little things that work from other agencies and other trainings that we get."
And no matter what the situation, there is one goal.
"Everybody gets out safely, including yourself, everybody need to be safe." (re-enactment)
Thirty-five officers from 12 different organizations met for this week-long training, including Waynesboro and Augusta County.