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12 J. Police Crisis Negot. 1 (2012)

handle is hein.journals/wpcn12 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal ofPolice Crisis Negotiations, 12:1-27, 2012 Routledge Copyright 0 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Taylor& Francis Group ISSN: 1533-2586 print / 1533-2594 online DOI: 10.1080/15332586.2011.593343 The Use of Text Messages Within a Crisis Negotiation: Help or Hindrance? LOUISE ALMOND University ofLiverpool, Liverpool, UK MARC BUDDEN Gwent Police Headquarters, Cwmbran, UK This exploratory study aims to examine the use of text messaging as a communication method within crisis negotiations and draws upon the knowledge and experiences of trained crisis negotiators from around the world. A questionnaire (N = 207) and follow- up telephone interviews (N = 16) were utilized to ascertain if text messages are currently utilized in this environment; level of train- ing being provided; what reservations negotiators have about using this method ofcommunication; and, for those who have experience of using text messages, how it helped or bindered the negotiation process. Implicationsforpractice and training are also discussed. KEYWORDS Mobile phones, crisis negotiations, text messages, training, technology INTRODUCTION Hatcher, Mohandie, Turner, and Gelles (1998) describe the process of ne- gotiation as the utilization of verbal strategies to buy time and intervene so that emotions can decrease and rationality can increase. But what if, dur- ing the negotiation process, verbal strategies are just not viable? Historically, law enforcement officers have been able to control telephone communi- cation by cutting the phone lines to a building (Littlejohn Shinder, 2009), but as studies from Ofcom' (2010) illustrate, 89% of adults in the United Kingdom own/use a mobile phone. The creation of computer and mobile phone technology has enabled faster and more efficient use of text mes- saging (SMS), which provides users with a new asynchronous method of Address correspondence to Dr. Louise Almond, Centre for Investigative Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA UK. E-mail: lalmond@liverpool.ac.uk 1