The Sensual Offender wants to know “What’s in it for me…? In other words, they need Mediation to help them see that it is in their best interests to comply. In Part 2 of the Dynamic of Compliance, we discuss how to generate voluntary compliance by using Verbal Judo to “cut across” the experiences of the offender.

If the driver of a vehicle which you have lawfully stopped refuses to surrender his driver’s license, even after you have asked for compliance and appealed to a higher authority, it likely means that you are dealing with a Sensual Offender (at least). He is not likely to comply unless you can convince him it is in his best interests. So you might say something like, “If you don’t comply, let me tell you exactly what is going to happen next. First of all, I will have to arrest you. Secondly, if you resist, I will call in whatever backup is necessary. You will spend the night in jail and miss being at home with your family. You might even miss work tomorrow. Then you will have to pay a bondsman, hire an attorney, and end up with a criminal record. Plus we will have to tow your car. Now, do you really need that kind of trouble tonight…?

Dr. George Thompson, founder of Verbal Judo (to whom I give much credit for the content of the Dynamic of Compliance), calls these “hooks.” Just like a fisherman casting a lure, you may have to try several before you find the one that works. Each one is designed to show the driver the consequences of his failure to comply. At this point, we don’t know which one he will “bite” on so you have to have several hooks ready to go. While he may not be intimidated by the possibility of going to jail, or of missing time with his family, he may realize that he can’t afford to miss work. Or maybe he just doesn’t want a tow truck driver touching his car!

The same technique can work against a stubborn inmate who refuses to come out of a jail cell for an inspection. You might say, “If you don’t come out, I’ll have to send in the extraction team. They will use pepper spray or a Taser if necessary. Then you will be placed in disciplinary segregation or maximum security. Next you will lose your commissary and visitation privileges. Now do you need that kind of trouble tonight…?” The inmate that uses pepper spray for seasoning on his food is not afraid of a good fight. But maybe he was really looking forward to getting that Moonpie and Mountain Dew from the commissary tonight! Or maybe he was counting on seeing his family for visitation on Sunday afternoon. That’s the hook that you will use to reel him into compliance.

In the next sessions we will look at dealing with the remaining types of offenders, Scorning and Steadfast Offenders, then put the whole thing together into a professional pattern of conduct that will help protect you, your agency, and your fellow officers from harm or litigation.

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