By Pat Culverhouse
In a crisis situation where talking may be the best answer, Minden’s police department now has two officers qualified to negotiate what would hopefully be a safe and successful conclusion.
Patrol Commander Lt. Shane Griffith and Officer Johnna Traylor recently completed the Regional Crisis Negotiation Course, hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Louisiana Association of Crisis Negotiators.
Between 75 and 100 officers from various agencies throughout the state attended the conference held in the New Orleans Super Dome.
“This training provides another valuable tool to help keep our city safe and ensure that our officers, including Officer Traylor and me, continue to receive advance training necessary to effectively serve and protect our community,” Griffith said.
During the 40-hour course, Griffith and Traylor received extensive training in areas including crisis intervention, active listening skills, negotiator positions and functions, incident assessment, the tactical role of a crisis negotiator, suicide intervention and mental health-related incidents.
“Classes were intense and included practical scenarios commonly associated with crisis negotiations, allowing students to apply techniques and strategies learned throughout the course,” Griffith said.
According to Griffith, the final two days “…were very intense, with various scenarios presented. We were charged with resolving a situation, and both Officer Traylor and I were able to successfully resolve our incidents.”
Both Griffith and Traylor will serve on-call, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pair will also deploy each time the department’s Special Response Team (SRT) is called to action.
In addition to serving the citizens of Minden, the pair will also be available to assist surrounding agencies during critical incidents that may require crisis negotiation services.
Chief of Police Jared McIver said Griffith and Traylor will be involved in continuing education in the area of crisis negotiation.
“Our goal is to have them become instructors in crisis negotiations,” McIver said. “This would mean all our officers and dispatchers would be schooled in the basics and that training can be done in-house.
“This ongoing commitment to professional develop[ment helps ensure officers are properly prepared to respond to complex and high-risk situations while continuing to provide the highest level of service and protection to the community,” he said.
