TC
05-02-2000, 04:40 PM
II. A SAFETY THREAT NOT REALIZED...UNTIL TOO LATE
Ofcr. Pete Turner of Farmers Branch (TX) PD says he "found out the hard
way that it's not a safe practice" to carry your handcuffs in the small of
your back.
As an Army MP and as a civilian cop for the last 6 years, Pete carried his
there, figuring "they're easier to get to if you're hunched over a
fighting suspect." He generally carried 2 cuff cases, one on each side of
his spine. He wrote Newsline recently:
"Cruising around for hours on the city streets caused my cuff cases to
push into the small of my back. I never really felt it, so I never thought
anything of it. Then I got into a foot pursuit with an armed robbery
suspect. I noticed that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't run any
faster than a walk. My body finally wound down to where I couldn't walk at
all.
"It turns out that over time the cuff cases poking into my back had
ruptured my L-5 disc and pinched my sciatic nerve, numbing my left leg. I
had to have surgery to relieve the pressure."
Most trainers say the safest and most tactically sound place to carry
cuffs is on the front or side of your duty belt. You use them more than
any other equipment you carry, so they should be quickly accessible.
"If I'm reaching behind me for my cuffs," says DT trainer Chuck Humes,
director of the Police Institute of Tactical Training and a 17-year police
veteran, "I'm at a disadvantage in bringing that arm back into action in
case of a spontaneous attack. And a millisecond can be a long time in a
fight."
Humes knows of one OH officer who carried his cuff case in the middle of
his back and had to take medical disability when he fell backward and
suffered a severe injury from the cuffs impacting his spine.
"If you hang your handcuffs loose from the back of your belt, you're
creating a particularly dangerous situation," Humes warns. "Should you
fall backward, as your body moves parallel to the ground, the dangling
cuff can swing out at a 90-degree angle. Then, when you hit the ground,
that cuff can drive the swivel into your spine, possibly resulting in
serious damage."
Humes concedes that "one size may NOT fit all" with regard to the precise
positioning of handcuffs. "What works for one officer may not work for
another," he says. But cased or uncased cuffs in the middle of your back,
pressing into your spine, should never be considered an option.
Ofcr. Pete Turner of Farmers Branch (TX) PD says he "found out the hard
way that it's not a safe practice" to carry your handcuffs in the small of
your back.
As an Army MP and as a civilian cop for the last 6 years, Pete carried his
there, figuring "they're easier to get to if you're hunched over a
fighting suspect." He generally carried 2 cuff cases, one on each side of
his spine. He wrote Newsline recently:
"Cruising around for hours on the city streets caused my cuff cases to
push into the small of my back. I never really felt it, so I never thought
anything of it. Then I got into a foot pursuit with an armed robbery
suspect. I noticed that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't run any
faster than a walk. My body finally wound down to where I couldn't walk at
all.
"It turns out that over time the cuff cases poking into my back had
ruptured my L-5 disc and pinched my sciatic nerve, numbing my left leg. I
had to have surgery to relieve the pressure."
Most trainers say the safest and most tactically sound place to carry
cuffs is on the front or side of your duty belt. You use them more than
any other equipment you carry, so they should be quickly accessible.
"If I'm reaching behind me for my cuffs," says DT trainer Chuck Humes,
director of the Police Institute of Tactical Training and a 17-year police
veteran, "I'm at a disadvantage in bringing that arm back into action in
case of a spontaneous attack. And a millisecond can be a long time in a
fight."
Humes knows of one OH officer who carried his cuff case in the middle of
his back and had to take medical disability when he fell backward and
suffered a severe injury from the cuffs impacting his spine.
"If you hang your handcuffs loose from the back of your belt, you're
creating a particularly dangerous situation," Humes warns. "Should you
fall backward, as your body moves parallel to the ground, the dangling
cuff can swing out at a 90-degree angle. Then, when you hit the ground,
that cuff can drive the swivel into your spine, possibly resulting in
serious damage."
Humes concedes that "one size may NOT fit all" with regard to the precise
positioning of handcuffs. "What works for one officer may not work for
another," he says. But cased or uncased cuffs in the middle of your back,
pressing into your spine, should never be considered an option.