Course Description

This leadership-focused training program examines a real-world critical incident involving a barricaded suspect and an immediate hostage threat. Participants will receive a debrief of an incident in which Text-to-911 information confirmed a hostage emergency and first-arriving officers were required to rapidly assess the threat, make entry decisions, and confront a suspect holding a knife to the victim’s throat.

The presentation will examine the incident from both an operational and leadership perspective, focusing on the decisions made during the initial response, the challenges associated with operating in a confined environment, and the transition from first-arriving officer actions to incident command and post-incident management.

Key areas of discussion will include exigent entry, confined-space rescue, first-arrival command, and post-incident management . The program is intended to provide law enforcement leaders, supervisors, tactical personnel, and officers with practical lessons that can be applied to critical incidents within their own agencies.

The luncheon will also provide opportunities for regional networking and leadership development, along with a preview of upcoming OTOA Team Leader and SWAT Commander training and an introduction to the Ohio SWAT Capabilities Directory.

Suggested Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants should be able to:

• Identify operational and command considerations associated with an immediate hostage threat.
• Discuss factors influencing an exigent-entry decision by first-arriving officers.
• Examine tactical and leadership challenges associated with confined-space rescue operations.
• Describe considerations for establishing and transitioning first-arrival command during a rapidly evolving critical incident.
• Identify key components of post-incident management, including organizational learning following a significant event.