The Forum at Handcuffs.Org

Cuff Calipers

44 visible archived posts · 44 preserved total · topic ID 1135

Frank White 17 Feb 2006

Has anyone seen or used the handcuffs with the Cuff Calipers. If so are they worth getting?

Officer-Safety 19 Feb 2006

I have recently had the opportunity to evaluate handcuffs with the added feature of the âCuff Calipersâ markings. In todayâs current litigious climate I feel the added benefit of the Cuff Calipers useful. Iâm not naive enough to believe for a minute that this feature will end the now automatic day to day claims by every arrestee that the cuffs were too tight and they had handcuff neuropathy, which I believe personally in some cases is a suggestion from their lawyers to add a bargaining tool for the case. I feel though that the Cuff Calipers marking will give an added piece of transparency for the arresting officer. I would suggest to make the markings useful that any officer using them should mark in his notebook, or on the official form of paperwork his/her department issue, the number the cuff was set at when double locked on the wrists (noting that each wrist maybe set at a different number) and have another college do the same in support, corroboration in most countries legal system is recognised. However we must recognise that when we have a extremely violent prisoner, and in some small departments maybe only 2 officers to restrain and transport said prisoner, it maybe more dangerous for the officers and prisoner to struggle into a position to clearly identify the number on the handcuffs, I would suggest though that if this is the case that it be noted again that a risk assessment was done and due to the violence being offered by the prisoner it was deemed too dangerous to check the cuff markings visually.
If a prisoner is violent and struggling when in handcuffs this MUST be noted on the Official Dept. paperwork, be this; notebook, custody report, Jail/Prison report etc, because if a prisoner is struggling within properly applied and secured handcuffs they will cause damage to their wrists, which of course is not a cause of handcuffs being applied to tight but due to the fact of the struggling within the cuffs, handcuff neuropathy can occur at their own infliction.

In conclusion to the question âare the Cuff Calipers worth gettingâ thatâs a strong yes from me, anything we can use to show out transparency and professionalism in my opinion is an added benefit. Also to please the procurement personnel the added cost of Cuff Calipers to cuffs is very low and if it saved one lawsuit theyâve easily paid for themselves.

Take care and stay safe

Officer-Safety

PT Barnum 19 Feb 2006

Blatant gimmickry.

Fiji 19 Feb 2006

Does it come w/ a wrist size detector, built-in camera and time notation device, too? No? Worthless. In the name of sales, marketing strays from function.

Officer-Safety 19 Feb 2006

Police cars with dash cams stray from the function a car was designed for but I'm not ignorant enough not to see the overwhelming benefit of them and of how many officers have been glad of having the dash cam as evidence.

Take care and Stay safe

Officer-Safety

Edgeplay_Cgo 19 Feb 2006

I disagree with the argument that the caliper is worthless. It permits the cop to testify that the cuffs were not too tight, with a degree of specificity he never had before.

Without Cuff Calipers:

Atty: "How tight did you lock the cuffs?"

Cop: "Not too tight."

Atty: "In other words, you don't even know HOW tight they were." <proceeds to argue that the cuffs were tightened until te "victms" bones cracked>

With CCs:

Cop: "I set them at a six." <Prodcing a pair of cuffs and ratcheting them to a six> "See, they were that far closed and double locked."

The defending attorney can now argue and even demonstrate that, at a level of six, the cuffs could not have been too tight. No, you can't prove that the cuffs were set at a six, or that they weren't subsequently tightened. But you can make the argument, and testimony carries weight, and cops still tend to be believable in court. Not being able to offer any testimony at all, cripples your ability to argue that you didn't do it. You can't get a break in court if you don't ask for it.

Considerng that, once the dies have been made, adding CCs to cuffs is essentially free, I don't see a down side.

Officer-Safety 19 Feb 2006

Exactly my point Dennis.

Take care and stay safe

Officer-Safety

BFW 19 Feb 2006

For anyone out there who feels compelled to use cuff calipers to give yourself a little bit more evidence, in addition to recording the settings of each cuff, be sure you also write down the make and serial number of the handcuffs themselves. Then, if you get caught up in a court battle over wrist damage, you can conclusively establish which pair of cuffs was in use to the exclusion of all others. This will make YOUR lawyer very happy.

Matlock 19 Feb 2006

Anything to create MORE paperwork for police officers must be a good thing. NOT!

A half-literate attorney just out of law school will make a mockery out of the "calibration system". "If these cuffs were "properly applied", then how did my client suffer such injuries?" Exhibit A = pictures of client's injured wrists. Pictures speak a thousand words. Calipers offer nothing.

Bruce Thomson 20 Feb 2006

#10

Well now, seems like there is something here I gotta rant about. In the last 18 years I have handcufffed a lot of suspects. I can't think of anytime that they simply held out their wrists and said "okay, ya got me I wont put up a struggle". Never ever ever. Most times, I did not have the luxury of placing handcuffs on keyway up, with palms facing outward. I lost track of the number of times my coworkers and I have said; "(Expletive deleted) get his wrist around - get the (expletive deleted) cuff on NOW!"
After a lot of struggling, and words I can't use here spoken by both sides, once the suspect is in the handcuffs and they are single locked THEN we check to see how tight they are. When they are placed in the holding room THEN they are checked again. Each check is done with a simple method - tip of a finger in the wrist opening, if theres enough room for one then they are not too tight. All the injury I have seen to wrists in handcuffs comes from the struggle of the suspect who rarely if ever listens to the arresting officers admonition to stop struggling. One favoite technique is to simply lean forward when restrained to a holding bar in a cell, it wont matter how nicely the cuffs are applied since the damage comes from pulling away from the bar thus injuring the wrists.

Anonymous 21 Feb 2006

#11

Matlock,

At least Bruce makes a point on how he documents the position. He is doing the same thing as what Cuff Calipers does but not as exact. The whole point is many people receive injuries at their own doing. It would be nice to show that the officer did his job correctly. Cuff Calipers will not prevent injuries but it could show who's fault it is. As far as the paperwork goes you should be documenting that the handcuffs were double locked why not put double locked at #9.

BFW 21 Feb 2006

#12

I'm probably going out on a limb here, and will undoubtedly whizz a bunch of folks off, but I'm going to.

Fortunately, I'm retired, as many of you know or perceive, but I'm not that ancient.

I had to carry a gun, not because it was a symbol of power, but to defend myself against idiot criminals.

In the same token, I had to carry handcuffs, to control and protect those nut cases I had to arrest from hurting me and hurting themselves.

These days, when I go for my walks in the evening and morning, stopping by the local convenience store for a coffee refill, it absolutely sickens me to see what those poor cops now have to put put up with.

OC spray, batons, stun guns, and for Christ's sake: body armor. What most folks call "bullet proof vests." They got enough to carry to defend themselves against criminals. As I see it, "cuff calipers" are not a cop's defense against a criminal, but some loud-mouthed lawyer. And if it becomes necessary for cops to do that, God help all of you.

Do not burden those charged with the responsibility for your safety with also having to defend themselves from the baseless charges of a bunch of damned lawyers over not possessing that absolutely, indredibly, imbecilic, ridiculous, worthless piece of idiotic garbage called "cuff calipers".

Wrists come in all sizes. But I never knew a pair of cuffs to be tightened too tightly when the cop simply did what he was taught and:

"employed in a transparent, universal manner, without reference to the subject or the circumsance, my personal indexing and calibration device, to establish and conclude that the metallic restraints were indeed affixed in a manner consistent with departmental policy and in accordance with the standards promulgated and established by the National Institute Justice, the research and development branch of the United States Department of Justice."

<cop buddies, copy and paste the foregoing into your reports as needed>

TRANSLATION: stick your index finger between the cuffs and the b****d's wrists, crank 'em down, pull your finger out, and go on your way. Make sure he ain't got a knife or gun on him, or that his little drug buddy up on the second floor opens up on you and your partner with a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot.

Cuff calipers? Reminds me of the time some wet-behind-the-ears criminal defense lawyer asked the cop about "having serial numbers on your bullets."

Collect them while you can. They'll soon be nothing but a historical oddity.

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#13

BFW, as always, a great post - and Thanks. I love your way of saying what you know. Clear, concise, no fence-sitting nonsense. I especially like this part where the hammer meets the nail the hardest:

"Do not burden those charged with the responsibility for your safety with also having to defend themselves from the baseless charges of a bunch of damned lawyers over not possessing that absolutely, incredibly, imbecilic, ridiculous, worthless piece of idiotic garbage called "cuff calipers"."

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#14

BFW, you had me laughing with this one. Thanks. The legalise (and irony) just drips.

..."employed in a transparent, universal manner, without reference to the subject or the circumstance, my personal indexing and calibration device, to establish and conclude that the metallic restraints were indeed affixed in a manner consistent with departmental policy and in accordance with the standards promulgated and established by the National Institute Justice, the research and development branch of the United States Department of Justice."...

BFW 21 Feb 2006

#15

Thanks Crux

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#16

Ever think of writing a book? Your stories and insight are so entertaining. I'd buy it in a second.

BFW 21 Feb 2006

#17

Crux:

If you want, I'll give you my "no fault" litany on how to do a Terry stop.

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#18

Fire away.

Anonymous 21 Feb 2006

#19

I did a little research about cuff calipers apparently they were designed by a cop. He was having problems with people constantly complaining about their handcuffs being too tight. Even though the handcuffs were applied properly they still caused redness and bruising. I understand that handcuffs were not built for comfort but who wants to make a victim out of a criminal.

You still have to document that the handcuffs were applied correctly and you used your finger to check it. Is it harder to write down a number?

I guess the bottom line is stupid people in handcuffs get injuries. Criminals and Lawyers like to sue cops. It sounds to me like someone is trying to help cops out.

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#20

..."It sounds to me like someone is trying to help cops out."

I respect what you're saying, but, it sounds to me like someone is trying to make a buck, so to speak. What if you (the innovator) could get the system to buy into this and require all law enforcement cuffs to carry the calibration markings? I don't know if there's a patent or one pending, but imagine if you could make a dollar or so off every cuff sold in the USA or anywhere else this became a mandate - all in the name of "helping cops". Sounds like a plan - a business plan.

Anonymous 21 Feb 2006

#21

Your right! I am sure he is not doing it for free but that does not mean its not without good intent. Bulletproof vests are not free but still a good idea.

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#22

Yes, but bulletproof vests protect the police. Whether or not calibrated cuffs do is still up for debate.

Anonymous 21 Feb 2006

#23

It is interesting to say the least. I guess only time will tell. I wonder how long it will take to be tried in court.

Crux 21 Feb 2006

#24

One aspect of this whole issue of calibrated cuffs that rubs me the wrong way is that it seems that the argument is made to make cops look inherently stupid - as if they have to count the clicks in order to get it right. Life should be so easy.

I think it would make more sense to address the design aspects of the modern day cuff. Functionally, they are a thing of beauty. From the standpoint of pain/injury potential - as the saying goes, "an accident waiting to happen". With all the new developments in Kevlar, carbon fibre and specialized ceramics, plastics, resins etc., one would think that a material change might be just around the corner. Cuffs could be lighter, stronger and "softer" on the wrists. Just wondering. How far away are we?

Joe 21 Feb 2006

#25

Hello,

My name is Joe and I don't know if this will help you or not Frank but I sell handcuffs with Cuff Calipers on my website. It seem to be a big issue cops either love them or hate them. They sell really well and we have sold Cuff Calipers in every state and in most major police departments. I don't know if it will take hold or not but they have been very popular so far.

Anonymous 21 Feb 2006

#26

Crux,

ASP has made an attempt at that very idea. They are much more comfortable to ware compared to the more traditional handcuff. I just think anything new takes time for people to get use to.

stan willis 21 Feb 2006

#27

Tri-Lock has made an all plastic cuff for a number of years. They are mostly used in mental institutions. Yuil has a soft coating on one of their new cuffs. I doubt that these really reduce damage to the wrist in a violent prisoner.
Stan

Crux 22 Feb 2006

#28

I have seen the ASP. It appears that only part of the cuff is "rubberized" with a covering. Isn't the swing arm still all metal?

Also, the Tri-Locks: I have seen them, too. I can tell that the inserts are rubber, but what about the rest of the cuff? Rubber inserts seem to be the equivalent of gasketing, which will, over time, need regular replacing, no?

To my knowledge, the kinds of "new age" cuffs of which I speak have yet to be made. I'm talking about the use of high tech materials - carbon fibre, etc. - like that used on exotic sports cars to make them simultaneously stronger and lighter. Although hard to beat from the standpoint of functionality, the flat/sharp cuff design might need some tweaking as well.

stan willis 22 Feb 2006

#29

Tri-Lock is all plastic, except for the metal rivits that hold it together. They have been around since the late 1990's. It also has inserts which can be replaced or removed and sanitized.
Stan

Crux 22 Feb 2006

#30

Thans, Stan. Is there a downside to the Tri-Locks? What do the naysayers not like about them?

Dorson 22 Feb 2006

#31

Isn't it sad that the courts time and money is being wasted because a suspect is struggling. Policy says to restraint using handcuffs, etc. but if they fight it, they injure themselves. Cops jobs are hard enough and dangerous enough. I once heard of a case in Prince George's County, MD many years ago a suspect had put razor blades on the side of his shoes. So if he was caught and a struggle ensued, the officers would be all cut up. I think the suits are frivilous and without merit, and the judges should outright dismiss it. I am sure in the police reports it is noted if the suspect(s) resisted and struggled, etc. When is it things are going to shift back to the real victims and what they have suffered. (this is coming from someone who just had his laptop stolen with everything on it and you don't want to know what has been going through my mind)

-Dorson

K. Emden 24 Feb 2006

#32

Cuff Calipers are simply an attempt to market a product in response to liability concerns. Claimed nerve damage caused by aledgedly, excessivly tight handcuff's, is a frequent target for litigation. Officers are often taught to place a paragraph in the report to the effect that the handcuffs were properly applied, inspected for proper adjustment, then doublelocked. The ability to place a finger between the cuff's and the suspects wrist is an indication of proper adjustment.

Since the courts often rule that if an action is not documented in never happened, the paragraph often helps. If Cuff Calipers are utilized and documented, they may reduce liability, since the setting could be replicated, tested and defended in court. Presuming, of course, that the defendant does not gain too much weight, consuming the gourmet food, in the four star Correctional Center.

My opinion though is that Cuff Calipers will add one more burden upon the police, requiring the documentation of yet another number, in an increasingly long report. With each added requirement, more officers are going to develop tunnel vision toward crime and simply engage in driving for dollars.

Consider that by seldom arresting criminals, by simply writing reports with no follow-up and by looking the other way, liability is significantly reduced, but at what cost to society.

I will not be purchasing cuff calipers soon. If issued them and told to use them, I will certainly do so and document the application of same, in the recommended manner.

Sorry for the diatribe, but some things do strike a nerve.

k. Emden 24 Feb 2006

#33

One more punch to the dead horse.

Cuff Calipers blindly accept that nerve damage is caused by the tightness of the cuffs, which is rarely the cause. The suspect, with arms handcuffed behind his/her back, is seated in a patrol car, with wrists sandwiched between the body and the seat. As another astute reader just responded, it is the the pressure that may cause nerve damage and not solely the adjustment of the cuff's.

One of the selling points of the Pro-Straint car seat is that cut-outs in the seat releave this pressure and reduce the associated nerve damage.

Bruce Thomson 25 Feb 2006

#34

Gee, why not just take your existing duty cuffs, click them shut one notch, put a file mark, do it another notch and another file mark and - presto instant calibrated handcuffs!

Cliff Gerstman 25 Feb 2006

#35

You know, I wish people wouldn't be so stupid. Cops would not have to defend themselves if people would listen, obay the laws and when dealing with the police, do it honestly and fairly.

Once in my life I was obliged to wear handcuffs that was not for an escape or by my free choice. Guess what... I broke the law. The officer watched me do it, and caught me red handed. I did not resist arrest. I offered my hands behind when he ordered me to. He cuffed me. Guess what, my lack of resist allowed him to put the cuffs on the proper way. Did I have red wrists for a while...Yes. Was I injured? no not at all. Any pain I experienced was from my moving around, not from the cops actions or attitudes. Truthfully I kept a "yes sir-no sir" attitude, and I was actully quite well treated, given that I had been caught breaking the law.

I have no problem with police cuffing someone for transport or protection. Let them do their job, they are trained to do it the right way if we let them.

JIM 26 Feb 2006

#36

This is one of the silliest debates that I have ever heard. Everyone is making a big deal about documentation. It has nothing to do with documentation. This cuff calipers idea seems to be a very simple process and does not require any documentation other than a number. Not saying that cops are lazy but even the laziest cop should not have a problem with writing down a number. The issue is not about writing down a number its about accountability.

Good people being accountable for their actions is what makes America great and different from most countries. Abuse of power is a common practice in very country. I think any system that offers a check and balance system is good. It can be a pain at times but I think it is over all good for everyone.

Dr. Gousse sued LAPD and was awarded over $16 million dollars by a jury not a judge. He did not fight, he did not struggle, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He received damage to his wrist from the handcuffs. Were the handcuffs too tight? Did he cause the injuries to himself? We will never know but the fact is his wrist was damage and LAPD paid money.

Do I agree with the courts? No! Are cops perfect? No. Does the average cop do a good job? I would say yes. There is a lot of liability with being a police officer and I am glad that there are people out there willing to do the job.

I dont know that I would be for or against cuff calipers but if I were a cop I would probably do everything in my ability to avoid liability.

U89 26 Feb 2006

#37

I agree, I have a couple of mates in the force and as far as i am concerned anything that protects them from liability for injured wrists is a good thing. If someone breaks the law or resists arrest then they get what they deserve as far as im concerned and if they have permenantly damaged wrists well tough luck. The law protects the criminals far too much and doesnt protect our police officers at all, so if it stops the force getting sued use the dam things!

Franklin 26 Apr 2007

#38

Just fishing around and found this.

Cuff Calipers?

Mikeintightpants 26 Apr 2007

#39

I've not heard of these before, but I guess it's some kind of measuring scale on the cuffs so as to be able to read off the point up to which each cuff was tightened around each wrist?

Edgeplay_Cgo 26 Apr 2007

#40

You're correct. It's a set of graduations etched or stamped into the moveable bow. Presumably you apply the cuffs, double lock them, and then write down the setting, so if you're sued you have a data point to report.

I have no practical idea if they're of any use.

Stan Willis 26 Apr 2007

#41

check out http://www.cuffcalipers.com
Stan

Dorson 27 Apr 2007

#42

What I have heard lately about them is that they are not that popular and sales is poor. I think alot of law enforcement agencies don't see this as necessary yet. Personally, I don't see a real need for it either. If they are going to sue, they will. And what stops a prisoner from struggling, fighting with the handcuffs on anyway. They will mess there wrists up unless they settle down and behave. What next, using wide leather or poly restraints so it is harder for them to injure themselves? I have seen and even sold the professional leather/poly restraints and I can't see using these to arrest someone. I will give credit where it is due, it is a well intentioned idea.

-Dorson

Brad Darling 27 Apr 2007

#43

You know, I think I can hear now the next compound-complex, semi-testimonial question being asked by plaintiff's counsel in a lawsuit against an officer: "Officer, can you explain to the good ladies and gentlemen of this jury why you blatently and ruthlessly refused to use a Cuff Cailpers on my clients wrists to protect him from this horrible, life changing, injury which you have unmercifully inflicted on him?"

Huh?

Seems like everytime some gizmo comes out, whether it works or not, it becomes proof of mens rea if we don't use it. Or perhaps, if we do use it.

I'm with BFW. Too much caca and too little belt space, except for a few really fat guys I've known.

Brad

Mikeintightpants 28 Apr 2007

#44

Thanks for that link Stan, I hadn't seen a pic of them before. Interesting, but a bit unnecessary. Don't think I'll bother to get a pair for the collection!

Mike
a.k.a. Mikeintightpants
Birmingham, England