If you’ve ever played or served on a team, there’s a familiar saying: You train as you perform. The training environment provides a safety net to learn the equipment a team uses, the terminology they speak, and to learn from and about their teammates in a safe space. This is one of the reasons regular trainings are crucial in the law enforcement world.

Once a month the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) comes together to make sure they are at the top of their game when the call comes in. Each training session is designed to strengthen skills that are vital during the most critical and emotionally charged moments of a response.

During a recent training, the team set up their mobile Negotiations Operations Center (NOC) in the Alternative Incarceration Branch (AIB) conference room and received hands-on training with the throw phone system. This equipment allows responders to communicate safely with people who are isolated or not responding during barricades and hostage situations. Once familiar with the equipment, the team’s technical advisor and trainer, Sgt. Daniel Robles, led team members through realistic scenarios.

“This training provides the team an opportunity to practice responding to high risk, high stress situations, but in a safe environment,” said 1^st Lt. Chris Loftis, the CNT commander. “It's important that each team member uses the equipment, practices how it’s set up, and then focuses on maintaining clear and reliable communication in a crisis. While each scenario is simulated, the stakes feel real, which is the point. You respond the way you train.”

Negotiators must be prepared to engage with people facing intense personal challenges, whether driven by mental health crises, emotional distress, or high-pressure situations. By recreating those dynamics in training, the team ensures they are ready to respond with compassion, empathy, and professionalism when the time comes.

“When we are called to help in a situation, we need to establish a connection to the person who is in crisis,” Loftis said. “That means actively listening to them, responding in an empathetic manner, all while staying calm and collected with the goal of deescalating the situation. Sometimes that will be achieved only over a phone line using our voice and our words.”

Training does not always occur during a deputy’s normal working hours. Members sometimes need to come in during their off time, which demonstrates their dedication to learning. It also reflects the high standards of the FCSO Crisis Negotiation Team. Their ongoing commitment to honing their skills plays a vital role in peaceful resolutions and in ensuring that people in crisis receive the support and understanding they need.

“Our goal is simple,” Loftis said. “To be ready when it matters most.”