NEW YORK (PIX11) -- It takes an elite group of officers, members of the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit and the Hostage Negotiation Team, to answer a call when lives are on the line and there is no room for error.
ESU provides specialized support and advanced equipment, they are highly trained in several disciplines. About a month ago, when a man climbed hundreds of feet above the East River on the Williamsburg Bridge, both units were there to try to get the man down.
Chief Carlos Valdez is the Commanding Officer of ESU.
"It was very complex, there was an individual on the bridge threatening to jump and it took a lot of our resources to talk him down," Valdez said.
Eventually, after about seven hours the man is taken into custody to get help. The Hostage Negotiation Team was also there to help talk the man down.
Lt. Michael Tomao heads that unit.
"Our officers are trained in active listening. We want to hear about what happened to him, see how we can help and build empathy with him. We want to know what he is going through," Tomao said.
Not all incidents end well, some are violent, even deadly.
In Woodside, after police said William Hernandez shot and killed his building super, he allegedly then pointed his weapon out of his apartment window and let off more rounds. Police say he barricaded himself inside his apartment before he shot himself.
Hernandez was taken into custody after hours, he is expected to be ok.
Both units go through physical, emotional and medical training, they respond to more than 700 calls every year, and the Hostage Negotiators are not what you see in the movies, it can sometimes take hours or days to get a situation under control.
The units can work against the clock but can also use the time to their advantage, often it's patience that saves lives.
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