Posted: 6/10/2004 5:10:04 PM EDT
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Hey guys (and gals), When cuffing a suspect who has his hands on his head, what technique do you guys find works the best? We've learned a couple ways in the academy and were basically instructed to do what feels most comfortable to us while maintaining officer safety. Does anyone see anything wrong with going under the first wrist to cuff , then bringing it down and around to the back with my arm inbetween theirs and their back (basically into an arm bar)? I recently picked this technique up and it feels great to me but there might be some danger areas im not seeing.. possibly falling down with the suspect if he chooses to go to the ground. |
| Im sure they beat this into you at the academy, but just remeber that hadcuffs can be used against you, the best cuffing technique depends on a lot of things, size of suspect, cover officer(s) skill of suspect. Over here grapling is very popular, I would never want to chance getting tied up like that with someone over here. If you have the first cuff on, and are not tied up with them you can always use the cuff to take them down. Dont know if this is the advice you were looking for. |
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I'd be more worried about him trapping your arm and head butting you. All our cuffing tecniques are done with the perp on the ground face down. The one I like to use gives you maximum control before and during cuffing. You can inflict some serious pain compliance with it. |
thats exactly what i was thinking, logically the only time id cuff at the head is with the suspect on his knees... |
I hope you don't make them ride in the back..  I never cuff with a suspect standing. At the very least i take them kneeling with their ankles crossed. If they get itchy they eat the ground. I've never understood why anyone would WANT a knee on the back of their head. I guess some people like it rough. On the method you are refering to i would not use it b/c i would not want to become entangled with them. If something happens i want to be able to break away quickly if need be, especially if you are backed up by K-9. Practice makes perfect.. just tell your wife it's kinky .. 
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| I really need to pick up a set of those practice cuffs that can be taken off without a key. Yesterday a couple of officers and I were practicing the technique first described. We came to the conclusion that its not very safe standing up as anyone with grappling experience could throw you over their shoulder. Ill stick with cuffing at the back and making the person as unbalanced as possible. |
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Here is the method I was trained on. It's very effective. I'm typing this as it would be done by a right handed officer. Prone the suspect out with their upper body facing you, head turned to the left, arms crossed behind them right hand over left. Approach them from their right shoulder. (Reholster weapon at this time). Place your right foot beside their right arm up against their bicep. Squat down with your left leg at a 45 angle to your right (or as comfortable as possible) with your left knee directly over their shouldersbut not touching it. With your left hand slide it under their right hand with your palm up and grasp their hand in a manner that you can apply a wrist lock. Pick their arm up off their back and pull their wrist towards you and place their elbow in the hollow on the inside of your right knee. This will make it very difficult for them to attempt any kind of resistance and if they do, a simple twist on their right hand and applying a little leverage up at the same time will get their attention. You can use your right hand to get your cuffs out of your carrier. We use the hinged cuffs and hold them with our hand around the hinge for this movement. Apply the cuff to their right wrist while still holding their right hand with your left. Once you have that cuff secured, pick up slightly in the cuffs to offer a bit of pain compliance using your right hand. Grap their left hand with your left hand, pick it up and apply the remaining cuff with your right hand. The cuffs will be applied different then normal in that their arms will be going through the cuffs parallel to each other horizontally instead of parallel vertically. This is a lot easier to do then it is to try and explain in words. If I had a digital camera that took decent pics and a pair of cuffs.... |
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I'm absolutely fascinated that there are places that allow you to never cuff people standing. hock.gif I've heard of cuffing people behind their head. Around here the agencies that do it call it "Koga", I believe. (CHP does this). We use the "FBI" method...Tell the perp to put his hands behind his back. When he does it you put the handcuffs on him. If you're a long ways from help (which we often are), it's acceptable to toss the badguy the cuffs and tell him to cuff himself heard. |
| When I was taught a long time ago it was cuff the Rhand on head first then bring/swing the Lhand behind his back to the other at the tailbone after 1 was cuffed you'd bring it down in a controled grasp staying arms lenght away from the perp. Most people are Rhanded. Why? I do not know. |
Front or back seat? Don't forget the ink for the pen! Talk about job security, we have a never ending supply of 'customers'. |