Insider Info

As you can probably imagine, this is not a job for the faint of heart. You must be strong and able to keep a cool head in very stressful situations. You must also have a strong desire to help people in distress.

Pete Ahern is a senior detective with the Leesburg Police Department in Florida. "I began my career in New York City and in 1987 came to Leesburg," he says. "I began as a patrol officer and about two and a half years later was assigned to the criminal investigations division."

Ahern's main duties are as the primary investigator for all crimes against children. This is what takes up most of his working day. But when the call comes in for a hostage negotiator, Ahern is ready.

"I like being a negotiator for the challenge. It allows me to use my inherent skills, my training along with the ability to freelance. Each situation is different, and one must bring all one's talents to bear on the matter at hand," he says.

"I'm passionate about it because I'm dealing with the ability to resolve a situation without the use of force, but by reason and just plain talking and listening. I like the challenge most."

Ahern says he and the other negotiators always work as a team. "The mission is to resolve a situation. One negotiator may be better in one situation than another negotiator. Maybe a female is needed or would do better. However, we all back each other up and assist the primary negotiator to resolve the situation peacefully."

Ahern says the best advice he can give to anyone thinking about becoming a hostage negotiator is know yourself inside and out. "Give yourself a good, honest self-examination," he says.

"Can you communicate and listen effectively? Can you operate under pressure for extended periods of time? What are your other strengths and weaknesses? How do they help, how may they hinder? Recognize your strengths and improve on them. Recognize your weaknesses and work on them to turn them into strengths."

Gary Leger has been trained as a negotiator for hostages and barricaded persons.

Leger says what he likes most about the job is that it requires a team effort. "There is a great feeling of accomplishment when you see a situation that started out as chaotic and seemingly hopeless end peacefully," says Leger.

"For me, probably the most stressful part of the entire incident is making that first contact with the barricaded person. You are worried that he may do something rash before you get to talk to him. This may sound sort of corny, but the reason I got into this in the first place was to help people."

Leger hasn't been a negotiator very long, but he already has some interesting stories. "One Halloween night, while I was on regular uniform patrol, a reporter from the local newspaper rode along with me for a story she was working on," he recalls.

"Although the evening was busy, it was pretty uneventful until about 11 p.m., when our patrol sergeant called for several of the officers to meet with him. When we arrived, we learned that a man had become distraught over his recent marital separation and had barricaded himself in his house and was threatening to blow it up if we tried to enter it.

"I ended up going to the station and talking to this person for over five hours. He ended up coming out of the house on his own at about 7 in the morning to surrender to our emergency response team. The ironic thing about the incident is that the reporter got a major scoop for her news article, just for being at the right place at the right time."

Penny L. Martinez is an intensive supervision program agent with Wyoming's Department of Corrections. She is also a trained hostage negotiator and team leader. Martinez deals with some of society's most dangerous criminals every day.

"I deal with individuals who are convicted felons and who are high risk to the community," says Martinez.

She has a varied list of duties. "This includes electronic monitoring, house arrest, and several random home visits per month, as well as keeping in contact with employers and counselors."

Many people would find working with convicted felons difficult work. Martinez focuses on the positive aspects of her career.

"I enjoy my job, as I like a challenge and really enjoy working with people and helping them in any way that I can," she says. The team she works with began in 1996. "Since that date, we have had one female and three males resign. We presently have seven males and six females on our team."

As a hostage negotiator, Martinez has experienced some harrowing moments. "The most exciting thing that happened to me was when we were negotiating a incident in Rawlins, Wyoming," she remembers.

"I was the negotiator on the phone when two of the children involved in the incident were released unharmed. The most frightening thing that happened was being called to negotiate for the first time. We trained for almost two and a half years without an incident. The first time on the phone in a real situation was a very scary moment."

Martinez says anyone thinking of becoming a hostage negotiator must be of a certain personality type. "I believe that you have to be a very caring person, non-selfish, have good listening skills, be non-judgmental, have patience, and be able to deal with stress and anxiety in a positive manner. Be able to think on your feet and have good communication skills."

Glenn Topping is with the sheriff's office in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Among other duties, Topping is an experienced hostage negotiator. He knows what kind of personality it takes to do this job.

"A hostage negotiator is a special person who sometimes has to break away from the gruff exterior he exhibits when dealing with people on calls," says Topping.

"At a crisis, he has to be a good listener and somewhat compassionate. A good negotiator will not rush the situation but be patient. We have all the time in the world."

Topping says he likes this kind of work because it provides him with the opportunity to make a positive difference. "I like being a negotiator because it is somewhat personally compelling when I am able to save a lost soul from himself and maybe even save a life," says Topping.

"I always thought I was a good listener and felt compassionate about people. As a negotiator for the past 10 years, I have only lost one person to a suicide, and that was very traumatic."

For all its inherent dangers and associated stress, Topping says the job definitely has its good points.

"It is a rewarding position and personally gratifying. You have to be experienced with working with people, and have an ability to listen and take chances. Experience as a law enforcement person is [important]. Go to seminars, and even go out on calls as an observer. Then when the position opens up, apply."