Here at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), much of what we do requires compassion, nuance, and a deep understanding of humanity – what you might call tactical empathy. We have community policing deputies to help address long term neighborhood problems, and a Mental Health Unit that offers resources and services to those with mental health issues. All of our deputies receive Crisis Intervention and Mental Health First Aid training and are prepared to deal with most volatile situations. But when things escalate – such as when a person is threatening suicide, or a violent subject has barricaded themselves with a hostage – it may be time to call out the Negotiator Response Team (NRT).

“We respond to people in crisis,” said NRT Supervisor Sergeant Kannika Nimithkoune. “We’re called out to try to deescalate the situation and bring about a peaceful resolution.” Sergeant Nimithkoune, who has been on the team since 2009, explains that just like SWAT (who they often deploy with) NRT is a call-out team made up of sworn members from all around the agency. “We’re one of the very few that has both detention and law enforcement members.” Detention members respond equally to incidents on the road, and Patrol deputies can respond to incidents at the jail. “We expose our detention members to pretty much anything that is law enforcement related. They have a ballistic vest, a radio, and learn the ten codes and signals that deputies use in their radio traffic.” 

Corporal Keith Felsman said that working in the jail has given him a unique perspective that he brings to the NRT. “Working there taught me patience and de-escalation techniques for dealing with problematic inmates and inmates in crisis, whether they’re going through a tough time or a psychological issue.”

NRT members go through extensive training and learn many techniques to build a connection with the person in crisis and help convince them to bring the situation to a safe resolution. “We try to look at future tense,” Sergeant Nimithkoune said. “If they’re thinking about suicide, we try to take them out of the moment and get them thinking about the future. We want them to realize that the situation they’re in is temporary. It truly helps when you get them focused not on the problems of the moment, but on their ultimate goal. Let’s say they’re suicidal because of a custody dispute. If you kill yourself you’re never going to have the opportunity to mend that relationship with your kids. We need them to realize that what they’re doing is such a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” 

Sometimes what a person in crisis needs most is to be heard. “Active listening skills are our bread and butter, letting the person know that we are truly listening,” said Sergeant Nimithkoune. She said that when people are learning negotiator skills, some struggle with this – they’re trying to think of the next thing to say instead of listening to what the person is saying. “It is important to ask open ended questions that they can’t answer with a yes or no. For example, you wouldn’t ask are you upset, but why are you upset, or what are you feeling right now. You want that person to elaborate.” Then the NRT will often summarize what the person in crisis said to show they are truly listening. This also gives the person a chance to correct them to make sure they are fully understood. 

“We always want to validate their feelings. We put ourselves in that person’s shoes and try to understand what they are going through, what brought them here. But we never say that we know exactly how they feel.” 

When they respond to a scene, they have to find a way to establish communication. This may be difficult or dangerous if the person is armed, or if they’ve barricaded themselves in a house. “We can get their number and call them, or use a megaphone. In the most dangerous situations, SWAT can deploy a cell phone, or a SWAT robot can safely deliver it. 

In one of the most memorable NRT callouts, a man rented a box truck and climbed on top of it to defeat the anti-suicide barriers along the highest span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. A sergeant on the way home saw him and called for a negotiator. While the man contemplated jumping, a negotiator talked with him for hours.  “On the body camera you can see it go from nighttime to sunrise,” Sergeant Nimithkoune said. “He ultimately got down from the box truck and surrendered. Once we’re there, we’re not leaving. We’re going to do everything we possibly can.” Afterward, when the person in crisis and the public are both safe, the person can be connected with mental health services.

NRT doesn’t leave until the crisis is over. That may mean that one team relieves another during a lengthy standoff that could last 12 hours, 24 hours, or more. They will also work with other agencies. “A callout that stands out to me was when PCSO’s SWAT and NRT relieved another agency from an incident due to the length of time," said Corporal Felsman. "The part that impressed me the most was how well the two agencies worked together to pass off important information quickly and the teamwork required to achieve the desired outcome.”

But not every negotiation is a success, and despite all the team’s training and dedication they’ve lost some of the people they were so determined to help. That can be hard on the negotiators. “You start to second guess what you said, what you could have said," Sergeant Nimithkoune said. “We do a lot of training in mental health and suicide prevention, and one of the things that we learn is that when someone ultimately makes that decision, it’s not because of anything we’ve said.” Afterward, no matter what the outcome, they always debrief as a team. “It takes a mental and emotional toll on us.” The NRT members have to look after their own mental health too. “We make sure our negotiator knows that they did everything they could possibly do.”

NRT members also work with our newest sworn members to give them the skills they need not just on the road or the jail but in their personal lives as well. “We do resiliency training with our new recruits, and talk about suicide in law enforcement. With suicide you aren’t just ending your pain, you’re passing it on to the people who are still alive. We don’t sugar coat it. If you make this decision you can’t take it back.”

Being a negotiator can be challenging and emotionally draining, but if she can help just one person live another day it’s worth it to Sergeant Nimithkoune. “This is near and dear to me. I’ve found my niche.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. 

In a way, Fingerprint Technician Danny Mennel is solving crimes before they even happen. As a member of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Division, Mennel is responsible for collecting the biometric information such as the fingerprints, photos, and DNA that are used to confirm an inmate’s identity when they are booked into the Pinellas County Jail. But the value of the data he gathers has the potential to reach far beyond simply identifying that person who is currently in custody. 

“You can have the best print in the world at the scene of the crime – if you don’t have anything to compare it to, it means nothing,” said AFIS Division Lieutenant Eric Forcade. “When they get arrested for a petty misdemeanor now, that sets the stage for having those prints on file if they commit a more serious crime years later. We can solve cases because these prints are on file.”

Every inmate who comes into the jail has to be positively identified, whether they are a first time customer or a frequent flier. Since shortly after the invention of the camera, inmates have been welcomed to jail with a mugshot. Keeping a record of the subject’s current appearance can help with future identification.  

Next, Mennel will fingerprint the inmate. The days of ink and paper are long gone, except for a few very specific circumstances where a medical condition prevents an inmate from straightening their fingers. Instead he uses a fingerprint scanner that can capture every arch, loop, and whorl. The scanned fingerprints are sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to be processed and added to their database, and also checked against any latent prints from unknown subjects that were discovered at crime scenes. Mennel can know within about 15 minutes whether the fingerprints of a newly booked inmate are linked to a crime. When this happens he’ll plot a certain number of points on the print to check that it is actually a match, then send it on to our Latent Print Unit. When the latent unit has double checked the match, they pass the information on to the lead detective on that case. Mennel said they get fingerprint matches on homicides a couple of times a year. 

Every inmate who comes in with a felony charge has to provide a DNA sample. They are handed two swabs and asked to swab them one at a time along their cheeks inside their mouth. This DNA is also sent to FDLE for processing and comparison against evidence taken from crime scenes.

Mennel’s workload depends on how many arrests happen throughout Pinellas County. On a quiet Sunday they may process 15 to 25 inmates, but on busy days such as holidays or First Fridays, there might be 75 intakes. “I’ll never forget my busiest day, right after I started here – it was St. Patrick’s Day and we processed 90 people in an eight hour shift. We never left the print room.”

Most of the inmates are cooperative, but there are occasional issues. “We have our regulars who we may see a couple of times a week.” These bookings go quickly. “We still take their picture, still ask their date of birth for verification, but we know who they are.” Other inmates are more problematic. “Some people come in so drunk they don’t even know they’re in jail. They wake up hours later and we have to explain where they are.”

Intake at the jail may be the moment when an inmate truly realizes that their bad decisions have made them forfeit their freedom, and they can get violent, but Mennel has never been afraid. “I don’t think I’m in danger…. but then I’m six foot five. We've had two incidents in the almost eight years I've been here where my coworkers have been touched. We have to have our heads on a swivel, we have mirrors, we have to be ready. If an inmate is known to be uncooperative or they’re getting agitated, more deputies will be standing by. The deputies take good care of us.”

Most people who commit serious crimes began with minor crimes. Collecting their biometrics now makes it possible to identify them when they commit future offenses and leave fingerprints or DNA behind. Fingerprint technicians like Mennel help solve the crimes that may happen years from now.