Discovery Network Hostage Negotiations: What Are the Tactics?

Sept. 1, 2010 — -- Keep him talking. That's the key objective of hostage negotiators who are talking to a suspect who police say has taken over the headquarters of the Discovery Channel networks in Silver Spring, Md., outside Washington D.C.

The apparently armed suspect, identified as James J. Lee, has a "small number of hostages," Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said.

Police are in contact with the man believed to be Lee, but Manger would not say what he wants.

Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent and ABC News consultant, said authorities have two important advantages in the situation: They believe they know who the man is, and they may be able to watch him on closed circuit TV cameras located in the building.

"The key is to get him to communicate and find out his demands," said Garrett.

It will be up to the police and Discovery Network officials to decide whether those demands can be met.

One of the suspect's demands could be to have his complaints aired on Discovery or another TV network.

"He wants an audience," said Garrett. "What you do is chip away at the list down to what is reasonable. At the end of the day, there may not be anything that he wants that the negotiator or Discovery Channel can do anything about."

It will be important to determine if the suspect has any mental health issues, Garrett said. If there are, he added, "that creates a problem with people who aren't functioning on a base of reality."

Time is not a big factor at the moment, as long as no one has been hurt, Garrett said. In fact, time may work to the negotiators' advantage.

"[The suspect] may lower his demands over time," said Garrett.

A negotiator never can be sure what he or she will have to deal with. There may have to be negotiations with the suspect over bringing in food and allowing hostages to use bathrooms.

"That can become a logistical nightmare," said Garrett.

The willingness to talk may dwindle as the standoff continues.

"Negotiators may have to decide: 'Can we let this go on and be safe?'" said Garrett. "They may have to tactically end this barricade."

Dr. Harold Bursztajn, a hostage negotiation consultant and associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard University, said it's important for anyone communicating with a hostage taker to remain calm.

"Probably the hardest part [as a negotiator] is that you have to be non-judgmental," Bursztajn said. "This is hard when every fiber in your body wants to judge this person."

"Much of the technique is a matter of attitude," he said. "You have to be very self-reflective so that the attitude you have when you approach him is a non-judgmental, calm attitude."