The Kingsport Police Department Hostage Negotiation Team is made up of five trained negotiators. The negotiators are selected from amongst the ranks of the police department.

When selecting negotiators a special emphasis is placed on selecting officers that possess superior communication skills.

The Hostage Negotiation Team responds to incidents that involve barricaded subjects, with or without hostages, and suicidal subjects. Using highly skilled and trained negotiators, the team strives to resolve incidents as peacefully as is possible, thereby reducing the risk of injury or loss of life for citizens and officers alike.

The Hostage Negotiation Team is on call 24 hours a day and responds to incidents city wide. The Hostage Negotiation Team is separate from the department’s SWAT team but they work closely to resolve high risk situations.