Police Practice Verbal Judo in Dangerous Situations

Motor vehicle stops are the most common form of police enforcement. They account for 52 percent of an officer’s on-duty contact with the public, according to police officials. During these stops, anything can happen. An officer could get hit by a passing car, shot at by the driver, involved in an assault, or even killed.

Cranford police practice verbal judo to deter those unfavorable outcomes.

“Verbal judo is the gentle art of persuasion,” said Detective Robert Montague at a Citizens’ Police Academy session on Wednesday.

Dr. George Thompson developed the verbal judo program. A massive professor from Princeton, Thompson was not someone anyone would wish to meet in a dark alley. Bored with academia, Thompson joined a police department only to discover that convincing suspects to comply with his demands was more difficult than he thought.

“He asked himself, ‘I’m George Thompson. I taught at Princeton. I’m gigantic. Why isn’t anyone listening to me?’” said Montague.

Just as his job was on the line, Thompson agreed to spend hours learning from the veteran officers at the station. He crafted the verbal judo curriculum from his observations.

This training is now mandatory for Cranford police officers.

“The two great American words are ‘no’ and ‘why.’ These words almost invariably lead to either a verbal or a physical confrontation,” said Montague.

Verbal judo offers a set of skills that promote voluntary compliance.

“I can make you do what I want you to do,” said Montague. “But if you do it because you want to do it, I’ve got no problem with that.”

Cranford officers are taught to stay professional, calm and cool at all times. These skills are especially useful during traffic stops, when the parties involved are often not experiencing the best of days.

Officers learn to deflect verbal abuse by listening, empathizing with the driver or passengers and deflecting their attention elsewhere. A driver may tell an officer (in so many words) that he thinks all Cranford cops are overpaid and lazy. In following verbal judo, the officer would begin his response with “I hear that, but…” or “I ‘preciate that, but…” and then ask the driver to hand over his registration or do another task to redirect his attention.

“It takes a lot of self control,” said Montague. “It doesn’t happen overnight. This job is not for everyone.”

Montague has found his verbal judo skills handy in dealing with his three daughters and wife.

“The problem is I used it so many times on the kids that they now use it on me. And my wife does too.”

While officers prefer verbal judo over a physical altercation, there are some instances in which words just don’t do the trick. An officer may use physical or deadly force if they feel their safety is compromised, if attacked, if the suspect flees or refuses to comply, or if the officer receives information regarding additional charges, warrants and other reasons to arrest the suspect from the start.

Next week, Citizens’ Police Academy students will try their own verbal judo in a series of practice high-risk motor vehicle stops. Police will play the suspects as the students attempt to carry out their officer duties.