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From this
article
in the March 2012 issue of Law and Order Magazine
it sounds like it is very easy for people to escape
from those plastic handcuffs cops often use at protests.
Plastic handcuffs are often called plastic ties, plastic zip ties,
nylon cable ties,
or electrical cable ties.
This article doesn't mention it but those plastic flex handcuffs can be easily removed with a bobby pin, safety pin or needle. Just slide the point or tip of the bobby pin, safety pin or needle into the pawl and ratchet mechanism that keeps the plastic cuffs locked. This will raise the pawl so that it no longer engages the ratchet and the plastic handcuffs can be removed. If you don't have a pin of some type that can be slid between the pawl and ratchet mechanism you can rub the plastic cuffs on a rock or some other abrasive surface and that will quickly cut the cuffs open so they can be removed. Warning: Flex Cuffs Require Extra Attention Written by Tom Wetzel To address large-scale arrest situations, most police departments supply their officers with plastic flex cuffs. These inexpensive plastic restraints can provide quick control measures for large numbers of arrested people. But don’t be surprised that after placing someone in flex cuffs, you look to notice them unrestrained. Flex cuffs, also referred to as zip ties, are easier to escape from than many officers realize and training videos on the Internet teach people how to escape them. Having an understanding of flex cuff limitations, applying them so as to limit opportunities for escape, and paying attention to those wearing them may help officers prevent persons from getting out of them. Methods of Escape Watching escape training videos are useful for officers to learn how an escape from a flex cuff may be accomplished. Some methods of escape for a basic single flex cuff that I observed include breaking the flex cuffs through a forceful action against the body, slipping through them, shimming them loose, and using friction saws to melt them loose. Depending on how the flex cuffs are applied to the wrists of a person, slipping out of them can be accomplished pretty quickly. This action can be advanced when a person clenches his or her fists when the flex cuffs are applied. This allows for extra space around the wrist area. After the cuffs are placed on the wrists, a person can then relax their hands, which makes the wrists slightly smaller and provides more room within the restrained area. This allows a person to slip their hands through easier. When I had practiced placing flex cuffs on my own wrists with another officer prior to watching some of these videos, I initially placed my hands and wrists together so they were facing each other in the front. I was able to escape from them fairly quickly. When I placed my hands and wrists perpendicular to each other, I was unable to escape. But that doesn’t mean someone with some training could not escape from this restraint arrangement. It is important to understand that persons about to be restrained may try to control the situation by bringing their hands to you in the manner they want to be cuffed. They can then apply what they have learned. Escape Prevention Objectives There are a number of objectives that police officers and their agencies can take to address the concerns of escapes during large-scale arrest situations. By watching these escape training videos, officers can learn how people are taught to escape and address their restraint applications accordingly. After learning what may be attempted, trainers can develop lesson plans to teach officers on what to look for from subjects about to be restrained and how to limit escape opportunities when applying restraints. Watching some of these videos would be valuable components of a training program. Having officers place the restraints on each other in a variety of ways during training can help an officer understand what a subject experiences to include flex cuffs that get placed on too tight, which could injure a person. Department administrators and trainers should evaluate their current stock of flex cuffs to determine if they are the right fit for their agency’s needs. Better flex cuff-type restraints are available that may be harder from which to escape. Decisions will have to be made on whether more costly variations of backup restraints are affordable for the agency. The purchase of a smaller quantity of better restraints to supplement the current department supply may be a possibility versus a full replacement, which could strain an agency’s budget. The better restraints would be the first ones used during a large-scale arrest situation. During the evaluation process, officers should obtain samples of different types of flex cuffs and test them with patrol officers. Getting their feedback is important as they will have to use these restraint devices on the street. How quickly they can be applied, storage of the equipment, and how easily someone can escape from them would be factors to consider. Awareness is the key. The use of flex cuffs has a valuable application for police personnel in restraining persons in large-scale arrest situations such as a riot. Knowing your restraints and their limitations, increased training in their use, and an awareness of counter training to escape them can help officers prevent escapes by subjects placed in them. Tom Wetzel is a northeast Ohio suburban police lieutenant, SWAT officer, trainer and certified law enforcement executive. He holds a black belt in Goshin Jujitsu. He can be reached at wetzelfamily05@sbcglobal.net. |