In the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, a group of negotiators from Northern Virginia met on a somewhat regular basis for training and networking purposes. For a variety of reasons the idea an organized negotiators association did not survive. In 1999, after discussions between several negotiators from around the region, as well as occasions in the previous year where negotiators from different jurisdictions were on site at the same incident, we felt that perhaps the time had come to resurrect the concept. The first meeting/training session of the organization that would later become MACNA was held in May of 1999. There were about twenty persons present, ten of whom were from the hosting agency and three out of the remaining were presenters. Though the turnout was lower than anticipated, the enthusiasm for the meeting was evident. We grew steadily over the next year with numbers exceeding our expectations. MACNA continues to grow. Today we average well over seventy persons representing over 15 different agencies at each training session.

Perhaps the most significant benefit of membership in MACNA is that it provides the opportunity for networking between negotiators in the Washington Metropolitan area. With such a large concentration of law enforcement agencies in one area it allows each of us to tap a variety of resources from the local, state and federal level. Secondly, the training and case studies that we receive during the quarterly meetings allows us to continually learn throughout the year.