Lanier Dismantles, Disperses Hostage Negotiation Unit

Chief Cites 'Waste,' but Union Protests

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier is breaking up the force's hostage negotiation unit and moving its members into patrol districts, saying the team is not called upon enough to merit staying together.

The move is drawing opposition from leaders of the D.C. police union, who warned of the consequences of losing a squad with such specialized expertise in handling highly volatile situations.

"This is a team that we have not only built years training and investing in its members -- they save . . . lives at least once a week," said Kristopher Baumann, head of Lodge 1 of the Fraternal Order of Police. "Not only are we going to lose them on suicidal cases, but this increases the dangers that [barricade situations] will end in violence."

The eight-person squad, known as the ERT, or emergency response team, works in tandem with the department's SWAT team and has defused several high-profile situations. In 2005, for example, the squad peacefully ended a standoff with a man who was threatening to blow up his van near the White House. After 4 1/2 hours of negotiation, the man surrendered.

Last week, negotiators worked for two hours to persuade a man standing at New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road NE to put down a gun he was pointing at himself.

Lanier said yesterday that she will actually quadruple the number of negotiators. But they will be doing other police work between calls, she said.

"There's no reason for them to sit around in a building waiting for a call. They had seven calls in an 18-month period," she said. "It's a waste of police officers."

She said she has put out a personnel notice seeking emergency response team members. The notice reads: "This is a part-time position. If selected, the Member will remain in their current assignment and respond as needed to situation requiring the skills of the unit."

Baumann disputed Lanier's numbers, saying that the unit performs many other assignments. It has done focused patrols in high-crime areas, assisted with special drug enforcement details and served as backup when officers executed warrants with a possibility of violence. Members also worked security detail for major events.

Lanier transferred five members into patrol effective Sunday, according to a department memo. According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, James O. Crane, commander of the special operations division, said the transfers were being done under the union contract "to enhance the efficiency of the Department."

Baumann said that the union was never notified about the transfers and that he expected to pursue the issue with department officials.

Lanier said she did not need to notify the union and was not violating any union rules.

Robert Brannum, who chairs the police Citizens Advisory Council in the area where last week's trouble on Bladensburg Road unfolded, said that the skills of the hostage team are necessary but that he supports a decentralized approach.

"If you have certified and qualified hostage negotiators out in the districts, and they are able to train the officers, then it enables the officers to better deal with similar instances on a smaller scale on regular patrol," Brannum said. "They'll be better able to do their community policing."