More than 300 law enforcement officers have converged on Texas State University for the 29th Annual Hostage Negotiation Training and Competition this week.
The hostage negotiator’s skill set may not be well-known to the general public, but is essential to ensure public safety. After nearly three decades, the program’s reputation is second-to-none, and provides critical training to police departments both national and international. Approximately 30 teams will participate in 2019, with municipal and state law enforcement units coming in from across the U.S., including representatives from New England, California, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio and Florida, said Wayman Mullins, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and an expert in hostage and crisis negotiations and terrorism. International teams from Canada and Singapore will also participate.
Monday and Tuesday are dedicated to classroom sessions and seminars. Wednesday and Thursday will see the teams conducting mock hostage negotiation exercises, where they’ll be graded by top experts in the field.
