Police Crisis Negotiators’ Experiences Engaging Persons in Suicidal Crisis

Date of Conferral

10-31-2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jana Price-Sharps

Abstract

Police are commonly in contact with persons in suicidal crisis. Individuals endorsing high-acuity suicidality present distinct challenges, including the capacity for self-directed lethal behavior potentially exacerbated by heightened emotionality, mental illness, homicidal ideation, substance impairment, and access to lethal means. Due to elevated public safety risks, a specialized police response is essential, with police crisis negotiators serving a vital function in managing and attaining peaceable outcomes. As a specialty role within policing that focuses on sustaining human life in significantly adverse circumstances, crisis negotiation with persons endorsing high-acuity suicidality merits more scholarly attention. There is a recognized paucity of research on negotiator experiences involving this population, generally and specifically from a Canadian perspective. This qualitative study explored negotiators’ operational experiences engaging with persons in suicidal crisis. Procedural justice theory and Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations guided the research. Semistructured interviews of eight negotiators from Ontario, Canada, procured rich, descriptive information about these experiences. Thematic analysis generated four predominant themes: navigating through uncertainty, stewardship, humanizing the experience, and interdependence. Positive social change implications include yielding insights to enhance negotiator responses in preserving human life in these elevated-risk incidents.

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