The competition is divided into two categories one for correctional officers, the other for police and sheriff's deputies. The scenarios were different for law enforcement officers. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections Eastern Region won for correctional officers, while the Tyler Police Department won in the law enforcement category. The competition involves a full day's worth of hostage negotiations. Bad-guy actors hold nothing back.
Judges evaluate the teams on how well they work to defuse the potentially explosive crises.
Negotiators get a feel for how well they are doing during their speakerphone conversations with the hostage-takers. Virtually nothing goes unnoticed by judges. They evaluate the negotiator's tone of voice, whether he or she is able establish rapport with the hostage-taker and how the negotiator is able to avoid topics that anger the actor. He was one of several judges working at the competition. That team members know the competition is merely an exercise doesn't diminish the value of the training, Jimenez said.