Last month, an email alert from the LAPD Hollenbeck Training Unit circulated in the LE community, citing incidents of assault by handcuffed suspects. According the report, these were “sudden and violent attacks by well trained and focused individuals.”
From the training unit’s Use of Force Review Division:
- One incident occurred in the Valley while the other incident occurred Downtown. One suspect who was handcuffed, twisted the cuff chain links around an officer’s wrist trapping the officer and causing injury. In both cases, the suspects had spent time in prison.
- In the Valley case, the suspect, a white supremacist, had slipped the cuffs around to the front of the body, thwarted the application of OC and began the attack. In the other case, the hands were still in the back area. In both cases, the suspects trapped the officers’ hands and tried to drag them closer in, presumably to continue the attack. In the Downtown case, the officer reported that his hand was rendered completely useless due to the injury.
While “contortionist” incidents like these aren’t new, they are a critical reminder that when it comes to suspect restraint, never let your guard down. Headbutts. kicks, knee strikes, bites, as well as gaining access to a missed weapon can all be utilized when a subject is handcuffed -- in fact, the handcuffs themselves can act as a weapon.
“When dealing with ex-cons, we have to remember that they have graduated from a type of ‘college’ that teaches them to be better at what they do and not get caught next time or how to kill the officer that does catch them,” said Ricky Tucker, Training Coordinator with the North Carolina State Capitol Police.
According to Tucker, prison is not the only place people learn these techniques. Anybody who has studied the martial arts or military people would have a good chance of knowing this, too. In fact, any subjects handcuffed in front without special restraints would have the ability to block your attempts to control him, trap your hands and take you down, or even choke you out.
The bottom line, says P1’s Gary Klugiewicz, is to handcuff the subject behind the back – even if it takes two sets of handcuff. Use a belt to fashion an impromptu set of belly chains to hold the handcuffs in place either in the front of the back. There are numerous inexpensive Velcro waist “chains” commercially available that serves this purpose.“If you aren’t going to handcuffing the subject behind -- and if you’re not attaching the handcuffs to the body if you do handcuff in front -- why cuff him at all?” said Klugiewicz. “You are just giving him a pair of improvised brass knuckles with a garrote holding them together. Take the time to do it right.”
The following images, provided by Ricky Tucker, demonstrate some common cuffed assaults:
| This photo shows officer reaching or punching with the subject able to block the officer’s attempts at physical control. |
| The officer’s wrist is captured by using the chain to first block the punch, or grab and then fold the hands over the officer’s wrist. |
 | By applying downward pressure with the hands, the officer must comply and go to his knees due to pain compliance. Once the officer is taken off his feet, the suspect can kick or strike the officer with a double hammer fist or choke the officer out. |
 | This same technique can be used effectively against straight batons to block, and in some cases take the baton from the officer. |
 | Example 2 |
| Using simple blocking techniques, the suspect gets past officer’s defenses and strikes the throat area with the chain. If this doesn’t crush the trachea or other vulnerable areas of the throat, the suspect simply locks his/her hands and “chokes” the officer out. From the back the subject can encircle the officer’s neck and garrote the officer. |
P1 showed these photos to Chuck Humes, lead instructor at the Police Institute of Tactical Training in Toledo, Ohio. He offered these lessons:
- Cuff with the back of the hands together
Let’s assume the subject has in fact, slipped the cuffs to the front. From the photos, it appears that he was originally cuffed with his palms together. This is not good. It leaves way too much slack and mobility in the subject’s arms.
Some people can step through the cuffs to the front when they are cuffed palms facing each other. Far fewer (usually “beanpole” skinny individuals with exceptional flexibility) can do this when cuffed with the backs of the hands facing. Even if they can step through them, if the cuffs are placed, gapped, and locked properly, very few people are going to be able to spin them on their wrists to end up with the palms facing as shown in the pictures. Most quality handcuffs are not round when they close. They are shaped to fit the human wrist, which in most case is wider than it is thick. (Of course, this does not apply to everyone as some people do have arms like pool cues.)
Humes said, “I actually had a twenty-something female who could dislocate her shoulders and merely raise the cuffs up over her head to the front. We finally secured her by stacking her forearms in a parallel position (with her left hand pointing to the right side of her body and her right hand pointing to the left side) and applying a pair of hinged cuffs. She was unable to overcome this configuration with her unusual flexibility.”
- There is no one-size-fits-all solution
If you are being choked with a pair of handcuffs, it is a deadly force altercation and the gloves come off: Eye gouges, firearms or knife, anything goes at that point. The relative sizes of the officer/offender and environmental factors would dictate what you could do the fastest. There is no concrete answer on either situation. I would attempt to counter the “wrist lock takedown” by going to one knee faster than his takedown – this is to alleviate the pressure on my wrist. Simultaneously I’d be driving my free hand into the subject’s groin, at groin level, grabbing with a crushing grip to encourage his compliance in releasing me. Caveat: Remember the danger of getting kicked or kneed in the head, and be prepared to counter. - Prevention as top priority
Relying on your ability to recognize that this type of assault is about to be launched against you and gambling your safety on your ability to counter it is obviously risky. Teaching and reinforcing correct handcuffing concepts remains the beset ay to prevent these attacks. As always, prevention is the best medicine.
Remember, handcuffing is merely a temporary restraint and not a condition of rendering a suspect completely harmless.
“There’s only one time a person should be considered under complete control,” said Humes. “When he’'s unquestionably and permanently deceased. Other than that, a subject is always potentially dangerous.”
