Sheboygan County Negotiators Team

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The Sheboygan County Crisis Negotiators are a combined group of seven members of the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office whose goal is to save lives and resolve crisis incidents while minimizing risk to everyone involved, including officers, citizens, and those involved in the incident.  The Sheboygan County Negotiators aim to achieve a peaceful resolution by influencing a person's behavior to gain voluntary compliance.

Crisis negotiators are trained at a minimum to a 40 hour Crisis and Hostage Negotiator course hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.  During this intense week of training and role playing, negotiators are trained a number of different skills to assist with resolving critical incidents.  Some of those skills are:

  1. Active Listening: They use active listening skills to understand the subject’s emotions and concerns. This involves not just hearing the words but also understanding the underlying feelings.
  2. Emotion Labeling: Negotiators often label the emotions they observe in the subject. For example, they might say, “It sounds like you’re feeling very frustrated,” which helps the subject feel understood.
  3. Empathy: Demonstrating empathy is crucial. By showing that they understand and care about the subject’s feelings, negotiators can build rapport and trust.
  4. Emotional Control: Negotiators must control their own emotions to remain calm and composed, even in highly stressful situations. This helps prevent the situation from escalating further.
  5. Building Rapport: Establishing a connection with the subject can help de-escalate the situation. This involves being patient, respectful, and non-judgmental.

The crisis negotiators respond automatically any time there is a request for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to deploy.

For any questions about the Crisis Negotiation Team, please reach out to the team leader Sgt. Jesse Smith at jesse.smith@sheboygancounty.com.