NCNA
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGOTIATION ASSOCIATIONS (NCNA)
Established June 20, 2001
Guidelines Adopted by WSHNA August 1, 2001
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Critical Incident Response Group
FBI Academy
Quantico, VA 22135
October 5, 2001
Dear Fellow Negotiator:
The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have left us a changed nation. As
during no other time in our history, law enforcement is faced with the
enormous responsibility of bringing to justice those who were involved in this
horrific crime. We must also remain vigilant so that we may act to prevent
further acts of terrorism. We now understand that such heinous acts can
strike at our citizens and in our homeland at any time. The acts of terror we
witnessed on September 11th showed us that terrorists are able to employ
previously unseen methods in carrying out their deadly work. While remaining
mindful of this, we should also be prepared to respond to more traditional acts
of terrorism, including hostage taking. The training and experience that we as
negotiators offer may play a vital role in the coming war against terrorism.
With that in mind, we must renew our efforts to ensure that our negotiation
training and response readiness remain at the highest levels. We should be
prepared to "save lives."
On June 20, 2001, the National Council of Negotiation Associations (NCNA)
was formed with the support of the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU). The
NCNA consists of leadership representatives from the sixteen major regional
negotiation associations and conferences, representing over five thousand
negotiators nationwide. On October 4, 2001, the member associations and
conferences of the NCNA ratified a document entitled: "Recommended
Negotiation Guidelines and Policies." These guidelines for the first time codify
generally agreed upon principles and philosophies and should serve as a
guide for all professional negotiators. I would urge all negotiation teams
throughout our country to use this document as a tool to improve their training
and operational preparedness.
On behalf of NCNA Chairperson Bill Browne, President of the Texas
Association of Hostage Negotiators (TAHN) and all of us at CNU, I offer our
best wishes and continued commitment to support you in any way that we can.
Sincerely,
Gary W. Noesner
Unit Chief, Retired
Crisis Negotiation Unit
Note: Gary Noesner retired from the FBI in January, 2003.
