Elizabeth “Lily” Prillinger
When you learn crisis negotiation from Sergeant Elizabeth “Lily” Prillinger, you are learning from someone who has led teams through some of the most challenging calls an officer can face. She is an active-duty sergeant with over 19 years of experience in patrol and specialized units for the San Francisco Police Department, Elizabeth understands the weight of responsibility that comes with making critical decisions in real time.
Elizabeth serves on SFPD’s award-winning Crisis Intervention Team and is the Team Lead for the Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team. In those roles, she has helped bring hundreds of high-stakes incidents to peaceful resolution. Her work goes beyond the moment of crisis. She has authored detailed Behavioral Threat Assessments that guided proactive strategies to prevent violence before it happened, showing her commitment to both immediate resolution and long-term community safety.
Elizabeth has served on the Mayor’s Security Detail for two San Francisco mayors, is a Certified Forensic Artist for law enforcement, and holds degrees from Princeton University. This blend of operational expertise and academic experience gives her a unique ability to think critically under pressure and help students learn to do the same.
Elizabeth’s resilience was built through firsthand experience with the realities of police work. She shares those lessons openly with students, offering not just tactics, but also wellness and performance strategies to help officers sustain themselves throughout their careers. She has been a speaker at a variety of conferences, including Force Science and CIT International, and we’re thrilled our students get to hear from her in a smaller setting during our Modern Crisis Negotiations course.
When you train with Elizabeth, you can expect practical tools, relevant strategies, and the steady guidance of someone who has been there, done the work, and is committed to helping you navigate the toughest calls with confidence and skill.
