Federal agents in flak jackets and black ninja uniforms, armored cars crashing down hillsides, even the legendary helicopters of militia nightmares --Ruby Ridge had all the elements of a paranoid fantasy, with the difference that it was printed in real flesh and blood. In the 11-day standoff, Weaver's wife was shot and killed while holding their 10-month-old daughter in her arms. His 14-year-old son and a U.S. marshal had been killed the day before (Lacayo, 1995). But who was Randy Weaver? What kind of horrible criminal was he to deserve armed federal agents rushing into his home and family? And why isn't there a happy ending in this story? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Randy Weaver was a 44-year-old former Green Beret. He lived in a cabin in the woods on Ruby Ridge with his wife Vikki, son Sammy and daughters Sara, Rachael and Elisheba. Randy also had his young friend, Kevin Harris, staying with him and his family. Randy and his family were subsistence hunters and farmers. They had a generator to produce electricity, but they had no televisions or radios. The Weaver family liked to keep things simple and keep it to themselves. In October 1989, Randy Weaver sold a friend two sawed-off shotguns that were under the legal length. This friend turned out to be an undercover BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) agent. Several months after Randy sold these illegal rifles, two BATF agents approached him with an offer. The offer was to become an informant for the BATF agency or be charged and go to prison. Randy rejected the offer and about seven months later was indicted for illegal sale of weapons. He was then arraigned and told to reappear in court in February 1991. Randy did not return to court; he returned to his mountain. An arrest warrant was then issued for Randy Weaver for failure to appear in court and selling an illegal firearm. These were the vicious crimes of the horrible criminal Randy Weaver. For an entire year, the US Marshals Service was involved in gathering information on Weaver and developing a plan to arrest him. So why didn't they go to his cabin in the mountains and arrest him? Randy Weaver was a white separatist. His religious and political views were far outside the American mainstream. Weaver also likes guns and had a lot of them. Based on information gathered, the Marshals Service learned that for many years Weaver had made statements about his intent to violently confront federal law enforcement. As a result, the Marshals Service concluded that Weaver intended to violently resist government attempts to arrest him (DoJ's Ruby Ridge report). Therefore, they decided that an undercover operation would be the most prudent and safest route. A team of six U.S. marshals approached the edge of the woods surrounding the Weavers' cabin on the afternoon of August 21, 1992. The Weavers' dogs began barking. loudly, so Randy, Kevin and Sammy began following their dogs through the woods. Gunshots erupted in the woods. The Weavers' dog, Striker, was killed. Sammy was shot in the back and killed. Kevin shot and killed a US marshal. The Justice Department report concluded that it was impossible to know who fired the first shot. Randy and Kevin drag Sammy's body into the shed and the standoff is on. Because a US marshal had fallen, the FBI was called in to helpresolve the situation. That night all was quiet on Ruby Ridge and in the Weavers' cabin. But on August 22, 1992, the Rudy Ridge catastrophe occurred. FBI headquarters rejected an initial operational plan because there was not even an attempt to negotiate the surrender of the suspects. The plan was revised to include a negotiation provision, but subsequent FBI action rendered that provision null and void. FBI snipers took up positions around Weaver's cabin a few minutes after 5pm on August 22. Within an hour, every adult in the cabin was dead or seriously injured, even though they had not fired a shot at any FBI agent (Bovard, 1995). While the FBI hostage rescue team was en route to Ruby Ridge, rules of engagement were discussed. It was said that any armed adult could and should be shot on the spot, deadly force should and could be used to neutralize the situation. But why was all this happening to the Weavers? On Thursday, August 27, radio journalist Paul Harvey used his midday broadcast to reach the Weavers, who he had learned were regular listeners. As part of their efforts to make contact with the Weavers, the FBI sent a robot with a telephone into the cabin. But the robot also had a rifle pointed at the door, so the Weavers feared that taking the phone could result in death or injury (Oliver). Does this sound like a normal negotiating tactic used by the FBI? Was the FBI really trying to get Randy and his family out alive? Kevin Harris finally surrendered on Sunday, August 30th. He was seriously injured and was then rushed to a nearby hospital. The remaining Weaver family still alive surrendered the next day thanks to negotiations by former Green Beret hero Bo Gritz. Bo Gritz didn't work for the FBI. So why was he the one negotiating? Why didn't the FBI try to negotiate? At the conclusion of this standoff, it appears that lives have been lost and innocent blood has been shed. But why? Why did the Ruby Ridge incident end in catastrophe? Did it really have to end like this? The only way to get answers to these questions is to examine the methods used by the US Marshals and the FBI and compare them to what should and could have been done. Every negotiable situation involves crucial decisions that must be made in order. to resolve the situation peacefully. How these critical decision points are reached and made has a broad impact on the situation. The textbook, Crisis Negotiations, recommends approximately 17 questions to ask when reviewing a negotiated situation. First you need to evaluate what type of accident it is. In the case of the Ruby Ridge incident, it was not a planned situation. It happened unexpectedly when shots were fired in the woods and Sammy Weaver was killed. The Weavers had no idea that the US Marshals were out and planned to arrest him that day. The Weavers were not prepared for this type of situation, but the weapons were available and emotions were running high. Ruby Ridge was not a hostage situation but a crisis and standoff. Secondly, adequate and accurate intelligence must be used. Extensive information and intelligence was gathered on the Weaver hut and surrounding areas almost 18 months before the situation began. From the information about Randy Weaver it was concluded that he was dangerous and intended to attack with force if any law enforcement officer attempted to arrest him. He was thought to have a large arsenal in his cabin; According to intelligence, Randy's political and religious views made him a dangerous target. Our analysis found.