Gary Noesner

Interesting, especially the author's depiction of the dichotomy between the tactical and negotiating arms of law enforcement. Given his experience and position as head of the FBI negotiating system, as well as his experience at Waco, Texas (among others) he is in a position to judge. Unfortunately, as he states in the conclusion, the personalities and psychological profiles of most of those who choose law enforcement as a career tilt the scale in the wrong direction. Interesting, too, in light of our current issues with the police. Definitely worth a read if the topic interests you.… (meer)

This is an excellent memoir by the top FBI negotiator (who is famous for Waco, where his strategy was reasonably effective for a while until overridden by tactical and the commander). He articulates why negotiation is an important tool in resolving barricaded subject sieges, and uses real world examples where it worked exceptionally well — such as the Freemen standoff, but especially the many sieges which don’t become well known because they are resolved successfully with little or no loss of life.

This doesn’t go so much into a how to of doing hostage negotiations (which would be of limited applicability), but more about why it is important and examples of how it has worked. However, there is more than enough detail to learn the basic principles.… (meer)

After having watched the Waco documentary on Netflix, I really wanted to read more. I found Noesner's book to be a very interesting read since it wasn't just about Waco. He had an incredible career with the FBI and some of his highest profile cases were highlighted in this book. It certainly lends the credibility to how much of an expert he was in his field and how his approach should not have been overruled at Waco. Fascinating read but also quite sad once you realize how disjointed the massive governmental organizations really are.… (meer)