Help with a Hostage Situation =) please

I am interested in a "real" answer to this question. Common sense dictates that a) as soon as the hostages are secure the SWAT would move in, this would be the Commanding Officer's call and b) as SWAT are a division of the police department they would use the state/county radio codes for police, many of which are available online.

I await evidence of my wrongness with baited breath.

Dani, you don't have a "hostage" situation - you have a "barricaded suspects" situation with the possibility of escalating into a true "hostage" situation.

Most agencies treat their "barricade" and/or "hostage" protocols and procedures as classified or at least law enforcement sensitive. That would include tactical radio procedures. Most tactical radio nets are encrypted as well.

The overall strategy is to save lives, prevent harm. and arrest the perps; tactics to effect that strategy will be decided on the scene. Containment, control, communication, and (often overlooked) patience are critical to successful resolution.

For the purposes of your story, I'd recommend glossing over any specific details about the PD's policies and procedures - you'd probably be safe to make some up, but keep them vague and/or generic. Keep the jargon/dialogue simple - especially on the radio (short & factual transmissions with succinct responses in plain language - that's easier for the reader to follow).

Breach usually refers to a sudden/forceful/aggressive entry - perhaps through a hole blasted in a wall, for example. Make entry usually refers to a less dramatic/violent entry - like through an existing door. In some circumstances, the terms are essentially interchangeable. (When doing the final report, it's usually better to employ the milder term.)

Rescued hostages would be disarmed - for everyone's safety. A (hostage) LEO's firearm would be returned if it's not needed as evidence.

If you're going to involve the FBI, the local field office can muster it's regional SWAT guys to augment local tactical units, but if it's a bigger situation (and pragmatic) they could bring in their HRT (Hostage Rescue Team).

As to the first question, SWAT moves or "breaches" are never by the book and always determined by the situation. So there's no standard answer. In general, if there are no civilians in harm's way, they will do everything possible to talk the subjects out. Entering is always a last resort and only used when the situation has escalated to no other reasonable option.

All of that depends on the knowledge of the on scene commander.

As for communications, the standard for all agencies, in the US at least, is plain language. "Subjects are in custody" would be the kind of thing you'd hear on the radio. This has come about from a Federal push to get emergency responders on the same communications, there are multiple 10-codes in use and too many call signs. If you have FBI on scene but not commanding, you already have mixed groups. Once they're involved, things tend to get bigger.

And nobody uses scrambled or coded signals. Way too much chance for a miscommunication to happen and make the situation worse.

Weapons are always secured in any situation, but if the "hostage" threatens the police, it changes the situation. In all SWAT deployments, the ultimate goal is for everyone to go home safe and have no shots fired.

Jeff

The identity of suspects and/or hostages may not be immediately known, so you can safely use the "subjects" terminology to describe persons/participants now safely contained as the details are sorted out.