Alrighty...LE, Retired LE and MP/SP....Let's talk handcuffs

[Model 15-4ever]

My agency used Peerless, and that is what we were taught on, but when I was hired back in the stone age, cuffs were not issued to every agent, after the Academy you had to give them back and buy your own.

Didn't care for the S&W design.

I looked at the Bianchi handcuffs, and the ratchet was actually several thinner sections designed to resist picking. I used them for about 12 years until the unique ratchet system wore out from use, and the teeth of the sections sort of fused together and were no longer independent.

After that I used Peerless. As DT instructor I taught with Peerless, and also a set of Hiatts chained cuffs with keyless release. Didn't care for hinged cuffs with the exception of a pair of aluminium Hiatts I used for off-duty.

 

[viceunit]

Peerless

Peerless for 33 years. Click, click, click

Me too. Was issued Peerless serial # 940655 December 1979. Had to turn in cuffs when I retired in 2012, so I gave them a set of S&W cuffs I also had acquired and kept the peerless.

 

[elkhunter77]

I have a set of peerless that my grandfather used as a Chicago cop. My 3 sets I carry every day are all Smith and Wesson. Sometimes, for a special suspect, I dig out my grandfathers old cuffs and use them.

 

[Ingramite]

There is still a pair of Peerless on the seat frame of my pickup.

I use them to secure my pistol when I have to go to the Post Office or other restricted zone where CCW is prohibited.

Concealed under the front seat and locked to the floor/seat. I can live with that for 10 minutes at a time. Just pass a cuff through the trigger guard.

When we were just starting out and living in an apartment my revolver was secured to the P-trap, under the bathroom sink with my handcuffs. Not gun safe secure but it was the best work around I could come up with until our furniture budget had room for a safe.

 

[xfarfuldog]

When I first started we had to furnish our own cuffs. My first pair were Jay pees which worked just fine. I soon purchased a pair of Peerless. They became my main carry cuffs. The Jay pees were kept in my briefcase as extras. I kept one flex cuff cuff in my hat (When your foot hits the ground, the hat goes on your head.) and a few extras in my briefcase. I did try the hinged Peerless cuffs and they immediately broke. Peerless refused to do anything about it. So I advised them I would let every student know that when I taught DT in our basic police academy. I have my cuffs somewhere around my apartment. I would not want to have to explain to an officer why I would have cuffs in my car, sounds a little creepy?

 

[Supadupa69]

Hinged or bust for the special folk

 

[CelticSire]

One of the things I stressed to the rookies when I taught at the Academy was that if you're going to carry gun off duty, make sure you carry a set of cuffs as well. That way when you take action off duty, you can cuff the suspect and put your gun away for when the on-duty guys (and gals) show up to the scene. Can be bad juju if you're standing around with your gun drawn.

 

[bearpa]

By All Means Chain LInk!

I spent 48 years on the job and was director of the Flint Michigan Police Academy (LERTA) for 2 years. Never liked the hinged, hard to apply especially when your prisoner was struggling and more than once I saw prisoners injured by them when used.
Peerless, established in 1914 in Springfield Mass., contracted with Smith & Wesson in 1920 to produce 1000 pairs of their handcuffs. Roy Jinks. stated Smith & Wesson was clearly working on the design and early patents for various upgrades to the early Peerless handcuffs. S&W produced their cuffs up until 1940, some sources say. Now in its fourth generation, Peerless® Handcuff Company remains a family business. S&W started producing handcuffs in 1960. I got my first set issued to me in 1969, along with a 5" M-10, another great S&W product!
I've used both and had no problems with either.

 

[WardenRoss]

Procedures.

While we're reminiscing here. Did any agency or department allow you to handcuff the individual to a stationary object?

It was strictly forbidden where I worked.

.

 

[oink]

Did any agency or department allow you to handcuff the individual to a stationary object?.

I don't actually remember if it was in our policy manual when we finally got one but it's been know to happen on occassion.

-----------------
I think I was only ever issued Peerless cuffs although I did buy a couple of pairs of the stainless Smiths with the slide double lock. I actually liked the slide lock.

I was issued a pair of hinged one time but I never got it back after one of those group arrests where they were hauled away by someone else. I don't know if I ended my career with any cuffs I was issued and only one pair of my Smiths. Even the marked ones tended to get mixed up.

I generally carried two sets of cuffs on my belt and two more on the spotlight handle.

I believe my leg chains were Hiatts.

I have one old pair an old widdow gave me her husband had carried up north somewhere. I need to give them to some young cop now.

 

[keith44spl]

I used S&Ws chained and peerless cuffs.

Also used Peerless high security hinged
with cut keys for transports w/waist chains.
Peerless leg irons.


///

 

[MelvinWalker]

Procedures.

While we're reminiscing here. Did any agency or department allow you to handcuff the individual to a stationary object?

It was strictly forbidden where I worked.

.

Yes, but only two ways allowed...If the arrestee/inmate was an arm amputee, Then it was the other arm to a stationary object or belly chain.

The other way would be if a inmate was on a hospital trip...If the Doctor needed to see/xray/examine a portion of the body that the handcuff was obscuring, then the handcuff was removed and he/she could be handcuffed to the metal hospital bed.

 

[shamuscull]

Had Hiatt and S&W. Two on belt and one more set in bag.

 

[MelvinWalker]

One of the things I stressed to the rookies when I taught at the Academy was that if you're going to carry gun off duty, make sure you carry a set of cuffs as well. That way when you take action off duty, you can cuff the suspect and put your gun away for when the on-duty guys (and gals) show up to the scene. Can be bad juju if you're standing around with your gun drawn.

That's an interesting train of thought that I never considered till I read your post. Once I retired with 20 from state, I went county as Deputy for a year ending with juvenile probation for the last year. Since I am in Florida now, I just carry a J frame when out and about. I have a retired badge and I still have my county and juvenile probation badges and ID's, but I don't carry any badge with me.

However, there was a time within the last 16 months that the wife and I were at a rural county park in the middle of nowhere wooded Polk Co. Florida fishing... These dudes rolled up in a junky car and all they could see was my wife. I heard one of them say to the other one, "you better think hard about it". Other guy gets out of car and walks toward wife and then sees me. I can tell he can see a hatchet on my belt in the front...He then makes small talk and leaves after I explain that he wasn't really welcome any closer. I told my wife that she would have been raped or worse had I not been there...I know it... Handcuffs may have been handy had the situation gotten worse. My wife wasn't armed....I was.

Great thing is that Grady Judd is the Sheriff in Polk County and I doubt that any altercation would have amounted to anything but arrests for the bozos I mentioned.

 

[Old cop]

My first department didn't issue cuffs so purchased Pearless in 1968 and carried/used them for the next 30 years. They're now in a drawer w/my blackjack and a few J Frame leftie holsters.

 

[xfarfuldog]

Procedures.

While we're reminiscing here. Did any agency or department allow you to handcuff the individual to a stationary object?

It was strictly forbidden where I worked.

.

My department was very poor when I first began my career. We had one room to process prisoners. At one point they put a ring on the wall to cuff prisoners. This was only used when someone wanted to cause problems or when multiple people were being processed.

I remember once we had a particularly belligerent prisoner arrested for assault and DUI. He peed his pants while waiting for a BAC test. I took some paper towels to dry the floor and he tried to kick me. I grabbed his one leg and swept the other. He laid in his own pee until taken to county jail. He later had his parole revoked due to his DUI and domestic assault and went back to prison.

Now the PD has a two story building and proper detention room.

 

[oink]

I think the ring on the wall was pretty common. I suspect some police supply made and sold some for that purpose.

 

[NY-1]

S&W chain cuffs are all I've ever used, and they serve their purpose well enough. I like the Model 100P with the push-pin double-locking mechanism on the side as opposed to the slide-lock mechanism on the standard 100s. I prefer nickel over black coatings; the former is easier to find if dropped at night.

 

[sigp220.45]

Cuffs are the unsung heroes of law enforcement. Guns get all the glory.

Maybe it is because they are fickle things. If you get both on, you are golden. If you only get one on and the guy gets up, you may have to schedule reconstructive surgery.

I got these S&W blues in 1983 and used them until 2015. Non-cops might not realize how difficult that is. Many times in multi-jurisdictional goat ropes you may cuff some dude and that's the last you see of your stuff. You might get somebody else's cuffs back, if you're lucky.

I contend the most realistic cop dialog in any movie ever comes from Lethal Weapon 1 when Riggs does his crazy act with the jumper and tells the uniform leading him away: "Those are my cuffs. I want them back".

I gave my Smith blues to my son, who carries them to this day.

 

[Xfuzz]

Cuffs are the unsung heroes of law enforcement. Guns get all the glory.

Interesting pic...

 

[MelvinWalker]

Cuffs are the unsung heroes of law enforcement. Guns get all the glory.

I got these S&W blues in 1983 and used them until 2015. Non-cops might not realize how difficult that is. Many times in multi-jurisdictional goat ropes you may cuff some dude and that's the last you see of your stuff. You might get somebody else's cuffs back, if you're lucky.

Truth and best post of the thread...You don't know how many times this happened to me before I started eagle eying my handcuffs when I could tell this mass chaos was about to happen.

I had to chase down a city guy to get my Jay-Pee's back...Some of the newer officers just didn't get it? They thought "who cares..You got a set of cuffs, right". They were right, but they weren't MY cuffs

 

[sigp220.45]

Cuffs are the unsung heroes of law enforcement. Guns get all the glory.

Interesting pic...

They are on a transport belt in the picture.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I once had a pair of Colt handcuffs. Gave 'em away. Now they are worth a bunch of money.

Colt branded handcuffs...depending on condition and whether they're in the box...can be worth several hundred dollars at least. I sold an excellent condition set without the box about two years ago for over $250 and a lesser condition set for cost to $200.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I carried S&W issued handcuffs at two different agencies...for myself I purchased a set of blued Peerless for off-duty use. That was intention because I didn't want the appearance of "lifting" them from the agency without approval.

Personally...I believe anyone who carries a firearm legally for self-defense purposes should have a set of quality handcuffs and be trained in how to use them. In the event you actually need to unholster...even if no shots are fired...you need to know how to restrain the cretin while waiting for law enforcement to show up. The more time you need to hold the gun on a bad guy the more opportunity he has to cause you to pull the trigger when he can be restrained otherwise. Also...any law officer can possibly mistake you as a perp if you're brandishing a gun. That goes for in public or in your own home.

 

[NY-1]

Personally...I believe anyone who carries a firearm legally for self-defense purposes should have a set of quality handcuffs and be trained in how to use them.

It should be noted that certain jurisdictions prohibit individuals from carrying/possessing handcuffs. NYC for example:

§ 10-147 Possession of handcuffs, thumb-cuffs or leg irons by unauthorized persons prohibited.
a. It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly possess any type of handcuffs, including disposable cinch cuffs, thumb cuffs or leg irons. This section shall not prohibit the possession of toy handcuffs which by their construction cannot be used to restrain an individual.
b. The prohibition of this section shall not apply to the following persons:
1. any peace officer, police officer or any person appointed as a police officer by the superintendent of state police; or
2. any police officer or peace officer of another state while conducting official business within the state of New York; or
3. any employee of the city, charged with the care or custody of a juvenile committed to a secure detention facility, while on duty or while traveling to or from his or her assigned duty; or
4. any person in military service or other service of the state, or of the United States, in pursuit of official duty or when duly authorized by federal or state law, regulation or ordered to possess the same articles prohibited by this section; or
5. any member of the auxiliary police force; or
6. any special patrolman appointed by the police commissioner, while on duty or while traveling to or from his or her assigned place of duty; or
7. any licensed private investigator or any employee of a watch, guard, or patrol agency licensed by the secretary of state under article seven of the general business law, or any employee of a person, firm or corporation operating an armored car transportation service, while such person is acting in the course of his or her employment or is traveling to or from his or her place of employment; and
8. any employee of a person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of manufacturing, selling or transporting such handcuffs, including disposable cinch cuffs, thumb cuffs or leg irons, which are intended for possession by persons authorized by this section, while such person is acting in the course or his or her employment or is traveling to or from his or her place of employment; or
9. any person engaged in a business activity which requires the utilization of such handcuffs, including disposable cinch cuffs, thumbcuffs or leg irons as authorized pursuant to regulations promulgated by the police commissioner, while such person is acting in the course of his or her employment or is traveling to or from his or her place of employment.
c. Any person found in violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars or imprisonment of not more than ten days or both.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I wasn't aware of that…but not surprising. Some jurisdictions love restricting people's rights…and it's not even a firearm.

 

[dltvette]

I noticed in this thread that they mostly refer to Peerless and Smith & Wesson handcuffs. I am not a LEO, but for the past 13+ years I have done research on Smith & Wesson's involvement in the manufacturing of handcuffs.
It began in 1914 when James Milton Gill, Chairman of the Springfield, Massachusetts Board of Police Commissioners, purchased George A. Carney's Handcuff Patent No. 1,017,955 granted Feb. 20, 1912. James Gill made an agreement with his friend Joseph H. Wesson of Smith & Wesson Gun Manufacturing to manufacture the handcuffs for his newly formed Peerless Handcuff Company on June 22, 1914.
The Carney patent did not have a sufficient locking mechanism and basically addressed the "swing-through locking arm. So before manufacturing could begin, Joseph Wesson designed a locking mechanism and filed for a patent on October 6, 1914 and patent No. 1,161,562 was granted on Nov. 23, 1915. Manufacturing began in late 1914 early 1915 before Wesson's patent was granted.
Smith & Wesson continued manufacturing handcuffs for Peerless through Nov. 15, 1940. During this time several new patents were granted for the manufacturing of Peerless Handcuffs, either by Wesson or S&W employees. Joseph Wesson & Edward Pomeroy patent No. 1,157,135 granted Oct. 19, 1915; Elmer E. Neal (S&W Superintendent), patent No. 1,531,451 granted March 31, 1925; Harold Wesson & Edward Pomeroy patent No. 1,872,857 granted August 23, 1932.
This is why the early Peerless Handcuffs, especially the ones manufactured using the patent granted in 1932 and the early Smith & Wesson handcuffs that S&W started manufacturing in 1952 were so similar.
I didn't want all my research and history to die with me, so last year I published a two volume ebook titled, Smith & Wesson Handcuff History Volume 1 & Volume 2, to preserve this history.
Volume 1 deals with Peerless with Smith & Wesson and Volume 2 deals with Smith & Wesson handcuffs from 1952 to present day.
Attached is a photo of a pair of Peerless handcuffs that were part of the 1937 contract & 1939 contract (the last contract), that Peerless had with Smith & Wesson. Also two early (1952) Smith & Wesson handcuffs to show the similarities.
David Teeters
Dave

 

[turnerriver]

Dave Teeters has displayed parts of his impressive handcuff collection at several Symposiums and won at least one award that I'm aware of, yet another of countless reasons to join the SWCA and attend our Symposiums.
Seventrees cuff case.

Myres catalog cut.

Regards,

 

[BB1110]

Active LEO and detective in N.C. I always carry S&W 926 Airweight and will continue to use them until I retire in about 4 years. I have two pair and use both for work. We are issued Peerless, but I prefer the vintage cuffs.

 

[DHernandez]

Smiths always work. Magpul- not so well. We use zip-tie cuffs a lot on entries. Belly chains are the best mate for all cuffs. Hinged cuffs are nice and solid but one set won't fit most porky defendants…