`VERBAL JUDO' GOOD TOOL FOR BARS; OPERATORS LEARN HOW BEST TO AVOID PROBLEMS

Whenever people gather to drink alcohol, there is a potential for trouble, Cape Girardeau Police Chief Richard Hetzel told owners, managers and bartenders of several area drinking establishments Wednesday.

At one of two seminars co-sponsored by the police department, Hetzel and Sgt. Carl Kinnison spoke of the need for conflict resolution as an alternative to force in addressing problems that might arise when people drink.

"Our goal is to resolve a situation that might have otherwise gone bad," said Hetzel.

Kinnison discussed the use of tactical communication, called "verbal judo," as a way of bar employees to get the cooperation of drunk and rowdy customers. The goal, Kinnison said, is to gain voluntary compliance without resorting to physical force.

Keith Reed, general manager of Sharky's night club in downtown Cape Girardeau, pointed to the success of using the techniques in quelling potentially violent confrontations with customers who have had too much to drink.

"If you get in someone's face, you expect problems," he said. "I'm not big enough to beat up or scare anybody, so I end up negotiating with them."

Bouncers at Sharky's have used the techniques of negotiation and have never had to resort to violence, he said.

The program Kinnison discussed was developed by Dr. George Thompson, a former university English professor who left teaching and became a police officer at age 35. Thompson, using his knowledge of rhetoric and the lost art of persuasion, developed the program on how to talk to people rather than resorting to force.

Co-sponsors of the seminar were representatives of the Missouri Department of Public Safety Division of Liquor Control. They were present to familiarize participants with changes in liquor laws.

District supervisor Charles "Speedy" Wagoner said the best way to keep bar owners and employees out of trouble is to familiarize them with the law. The biggest problem, he said, is the lack of knowledge.

The seminar was the first of its kind sponsored jointly by the police department and liquor control.

A few blocks away in the offices of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, the police department's crime prevention officer, Cpl. Kevin Orr, and security consultant Alan Foust led a seminar for local businessmen on preventing check fraud, shoplifting and robbery.

Orr advised local businesses to establish clear, written policies for check-cashing procedures and to make sure each employee knows and follows the policies. Especially important, he said, is making sure to check for proper identification. Not only does a check help prevent fraud, but it aids in prosecution when fraud occurs.

While check fraud is a year-round problem, shoplifting becomes greater during this time of year, he said.

"There is no crime in Missouri called shoplifting," he said. "Let's call it what it is -- stealing."

Nationwide, stealing costs businesses $24 billion annually, Orr said.

State law permits stores to stop people suspected of shoplifting if there is reasonable grounds to believe the person has taken something from the store. The law also permits stores to detain suspects provided it is done in a reasonable manner for a reasonable length of time.

Deadly force, Orr said, is never an option.

Above all, police encourage merchants to always prosecute shoplifters, Orr said. Thieves know which stores don't prosecute and they become more vulnerable, he said.

The informational program has been conducted each year as the Christmas buying season approaches by the Chamber of Commerce, the police department and QPI Security Systems.