The Forum at Handcuffs.Org

Rt Hand vs Lt Hand

19 visible archived posts · 19 preserved total · topic ID 4579

Howy 18 Jan 2012

How do I determine which is the Right Hand and which is the Left Hand of the handcuffs.

Howy
Cincy

Joseph Fox 18 Jan 2012

With both keyholes facing your body, and the bows on the bottom...that designates "left" & "right" cuffs.

MartinStgt 18 Jan 2012

Hello,
I don't think it is determined which of the cuffs is the left one and which is the right one. There are handcuffs which feature two identical cuffs, so obviously there is no left and no right cuff. There are four different possibilities to apply a pair of hinged handcuffs and eight different possibilities to apply a pair of chain-linked handcuffs (with swivels). I think there is no reason to predetermine one cuff to be left and the other to be right and to reduce the possibilities of appliance to two or four, respectively. It depends on the operator's preference whether the moving bow is top or bottom or whether the key holes face the hands or the arms.
Kind regards
Martin

Joseph Fox 18 Jan 2012

Strictly from a Police Regulation stand-point:

With rare exception (i.s S&W #94 - model 1) - Most all modern police regulation swing-through handcuffs (Peerless, S&W, Hiatt, etc) all have NON-identical cuffs....in order to have the handcuffs applied in true regulation "Left" & "Right" fashion.

That is...

*Both keyholes are towards the prisoner's body - AWAY from their fingertips.

*Both bows are down.

...supposedly to have the cuffs tighten-up if the prisoner decides to bring both of his wrists down on the head of a guard (of course, if the cuffs are double-locked, they wouldn't tighten.

Most all handcuffs with IDENTICAL cuffs are cheap non-regulation models,and aren't used by major law enforcement agencies....for those, you are free to apply them anyway you see fit.

Officially, in all police training manuals & prisioner transport manuals...officers are taught to apply the handcuffs in the above REGULATION "left & right hand" manner.

ChuckII 19 Jan 2012

I think I have this figured out. The Left Hand cuff is on your left hand, and the Right Hand cuff is on your right hand.

Does that explain anything?

Just kidding, of course :D

Howy 19 Jan 2012

Thanks Joe

Howy
Cincy

Planning to go to Indy again, I already have a table.

Nils 19 Jan 2012

Is that a Zen question?

Nils

Howy 19 Jan 2012

If handcuffs are applied in a forrest without any hadds would they still make the noise?

Now that is Zen

Howy
Cincy

Jack.Tanis 19 Jan 2012

Dear Howy,

The right handcuff is the tighter one; the left handcuff, the looser one. (Source: Mnemonic Devices of Plumbing.)

Cheers,

Jack
http://www.editing.org.uk/tanis/collectibles.htm

grenchat 19 Jan 2012

#10

The question then is: does the left hand(cuff) know what the right hand(cuff) is doing?

Dorson 20 Jan 2012

#11

Sighs, Proper cuffing, behind the back, means key holes facing upward away from the hands and the bows outward. Cuffing in front is keyholes away from the hands and bows upward.

lauher 21 Jan 2012

#12

Dorson Can you cite any sources that state that the regulation manner of placing handcuffs on a prisoner in front of him is by placing the BOW UPWARDS?

Here are two photos & text which illustrate the regulation manner of placing handcuffs on:

*Keyholes towards prisoner, and BOWS DOWN.

Thats been the official regulation manner for the past 100 years.
--Joe Fox

Unresolved image reference ↗

Dorson 22 Jan 2012

#13

Joe,
Quite simple, if you have to handle a prisoner and you have to cuff them behind there back and remove them. Which is easier to do? In front it is no so obvious when cuffing them until you go to uncuff them. Then it becomes apparent that it is easier to get to the key holes on S&W type cuffs. It is also easier to see that the person is actually cuffed correctly since you can see the bows. Remember how they talk about officer safety and being able to position oneself to do the job at hand. If you don't believe me, try cuffing and uncuffing both in back and in front and see which is easier.

-Dorson

Howy 22 Jan 2012

#14

Thanks Dorson

"Cuffing in front is keyholes away from the hands and bows upward"

This is taught mainly to Correction Officers, as if cuffed in the front with the bows down if they get ahold of someones arm they can capture that arm by using the bows like teeth to apply control and pain.

Try it with someone else, do it both ways and you amy become a beliver of the "in Front Bows Up" application.

Howy
Cincy
On the street 9+ years
Counterintelligenct Special Agent 31+ years

Joseph Fox 22 Jan 2012

#15

"How do I determine which is the Right Hand and which is the Left Hand of the handcuffs"?
___________________________________________________________________________

You asked...and I responded by providing the official regulation text & photos.

If officers choose to do it a different way - that's fine by me.

grenchat 23 Jan 2012

#16

Thanks for posting this vintage S&W manual, Joe!

The apparent procedural inconsistency is interesting: "Experience has shown that a shackled belligerent prisoner will strike hammer-like blows, but if the cuffs are put on with the cuffs downward, they will automatically tighten to such a degree on the first blow as to make further violence impossible."

The following document goes on to harp about properly double-locking the cuffs with an accompanying photo to illustrate.

Joseph Fox 23 Jan 2012

#17

Jason:

Actually, the S&W drawing & illustration is from "Handcuff Notebook" by Dick Norman (a series of articles he wrote in the late 1950s for "Locksmith Ledger").

The photo of the cuff being double-locked...is from a mid 1960s "Prisoner Transport Manual"

christine_cuffs 23 Jan 2012

#18

Gentlemen, there is a compromise here, try using the Republic Arms hinged handcuffs

grenchat 23 Jan 2012

#19

Greetings!

I do like the unifying action of releasing the double and single locks by rotating the key in the same direction.