EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — ABC-7 got a firsthand look at the Crisis Negotiation Training law enforcement officers undergo to help prepare them for stressful situations.

Friday marked the fifth and final day of a 40-hour course. The last day involved scenario training.

Local, state and federal partners were also involved in the training as part of a certification process to become crisis negotiators or to advance their training. Among those present Friday were FBI El Paso, El Paso Police, El Paso County Sheriff’s and Homeland Security Investigators.

Special Agent Valerie Venegas with FBI El Paso told ABC-7 that the goal of these trainings is to help prepare law enforcement for real-world situations they could be faced with.

“We’re all human. And so creating a crisis situation, whether it’s a suicide crisis, for example, or a work violence crisis or a domestic violence situation, it’s really not a hard reach because we see it throughout our daily lives,” said Venegas.

The special agent also said it’s all about de-escalation in these situations.

We are looking at emotions. When people are angry, they’re upset, they’re desperate, and they’re depressed. Whatever the situation may be, they’re in that high emotion level. And when people are in that high emotion level, you’re not thinking rationally. And so the goal is to lower those emotions and to help decrease that so we can think on a rational level.”

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