# How do the cops arrest someone without handcuffs in this case?



## ironpony (Jun 24, 2020)

In my story, if a cop has run out of handcuffs because he has used them on other suspects, but has also run out of bullets, but he has a knife, would he hold the knife to the person to walk the person to a police car, or what would be the procedure in that case?

Thanks for any input!  I really appreciate it!


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## luckyscars (Jun 24, 2020)

ironpony said:


> In my story, if a cop has run out of handcuffs because he has used them on other suspects, but has also run out of bullets, but he has a knife, would he hold the knife to the person to walk the person to a police car, or what would be the procedure in that case?
> 
> Thanks for any input!  I really appreciate it!



Any reasonable force for purposes of restraint is allowable. Rope, cable ties, neck ties, a braid of Bigfoot pubes. Or just lock them in a cupboard. Knife is fine but more often would just call for backup.


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## Xander416 (Jun 24, 2020)

Consider techniques like this.

[video=youtube;uZ0C4aO3WC0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ0C4aO3WC0[/video]
(The first 15 seconds is a bit awkward to watch, but they're not _actually_ fighting lol)

There's also the trusty hammerlock, where you grab someone's arm and twist it around their back and upward at an angle it's not intended to bend. Frequently used in pro wrestling, yes, but I can tell you from personal experience that it's easy to control someone's movements once you cinch it in.


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## ironpony (Jun 24, 2020)

Oh okay thanks.  Would they use this unarmed option, or would they use the knife, if they had it?


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## Olly Buckle (Jun 24, 2020)

I reckon they would be mad to use the knife. As xander416 says a decent hold gives you physical control over the other. The knife, though, is only a threat until you use it and you will always get some moron think he can take it off you, he even might. No-one is going to use your own hold against you, or even be able to try anything, if you do it like they should teach you in training. Mind, I don't know what US police training is like, but surely they teach them how to restrain a suspect.

I suppose he could also kneel on his neck and kill him, is he black?


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## luckyscars (Jun 24, 2020)

Olly Buckle said:


> I reckon they would be mad to use the knife. As xander416 says a decent hold gives you physical control over the other. The knife, though, is only a threat until you use it and you will always get some moron think he can take it off you, he even might. No-one is going to use your own hold against you, or even be able to try anything, if you do it like they should teach you in training. Mind, I don't know what US police training is like, but surely they teach them how to restrain a suspect.
> 
> I suppose he could also kneel on his neck and kill him, is he black?



A key piece of missing information is how long is he trying to restrain them for? The problem with a chokehold or any kind of body restraint is it's really hard to sustain it for longer than a couple of minutes. Not just because it's dangerous for the suspect but because it's physically exhausting for the officer. Have you ever tried to restrain somebody who didn't want to be held? It's super hard to do it for longer than a few seconds.

If you want a _realistic _answer it's probably gonna be that in the absence of a fairly immediate solution to properly restrain/confine the suspect the cop would probably sooner just let them go. It's not like they can get far, especially on foot. Obviously though, it depends on the circumstances. 

Is the person an immediate threat? How long have they been 'at large' for? What are the emotional aspects that might affect the decision making here? If the suspect is a real 'piece of shit' and the cop feels they post an imminent risk, they might just knock them cold. Or, yeah, kill them, as Olly says.


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## ironpony (Jun 25, 2020)

Oh okay, no I haven't tried it really.  Well he will have to restrain the suspect long enough to move them out of a building and put them in the back of a police car.  What type of restraint, or hold would be good for that?


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## Olly Buckle (Jun 25, 2020)

> Oh okay, no I haven't tried it really.


Neither have most other people, which means they don't have the knowledge to contradict you.

He shoved the suspects arm up behind his back, then gave it a good hard shove which made him yelp with pain.
"No monkey business or I'll tear it right out of its socket."

You don't actually need to specify the hold, if it is a book the reader will make it up for themselves, if it is a film the Director is going to go for what looks best on screen, no matter how specific you are. That's his job.


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## Bloggsworth (Jun 25, 2020)

A knee on the neck would appear to be de rigeur...


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## ironpony (Aug 12, 2020)

Oh okay thanks!  I actually have another question.  When a police officer cuffs a suspect and then puts that suspect in the back seat of a car, can the suspect be locked in to prevent escape if the officer has to deal with more perps, or is the car made like a regular car, where you can just pop the lock up yourself?


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## ehbowen (Aug 12, 2020)

ironpony said:


> Oh okay thanks!  I actually have another question.  When a police officer cuffs a suspect and then puts that suspect in the back seat of a car, can the suspect be locked in to prevent escape if the officer has to deal with more perps, or is the car made like a regular car, where you can just pop the lock up yourself?



You can't open the back door of a police car from the inside. Don't ask me how I know.


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## ironpony (Aug 13, 2020)

Oh okay thanks, because in my research I thought you couldn't get out of the back of a police car, but I read that in the true story of George Floyd, he was placed in the back of the car, but then managed to get out after, and that got me thinking, can some cars unlock from the inside therefore?


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## ehbowen (Aug 13, 2020)

ironpony said:


> Oh okay thanks, because in my research I thought you couldn't get out of the back of a police car, but I read that in the true story of George Floyd, he was placed in the back of the car, but then managed to get out after, and that got me thinking, can some cars unlock from the inside therefore?



Well, it is a car. They disconnect or disable the interior door handle, but it's still a standard automotive latch. If you have something you can slip down inside the window channel, similar to a slim-jim, and you know what you're doing (many crooks do), it's not beyond belief that you could pop the latch and escape.


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## ironpony (Aug 13, 2020)

Oh okay, but as long as you can't get out by trying to open it like you would a regular car door.


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## ehbowen (Aug 13, 2020)

As an "Oh, by the way"...cops may only have one or two pair of handcuffs, apiece, but they usually have a bundle of plastic cable ties (zip ties) in their car which can serve as expedient handcuffs in a pinch.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 13, 2020)

You say 'like an ordinary car', but actually most cars have a little flick switch on the part of the door that is concealed when it is shut. It is a child lock so the kids can't open the door when you are moving.  This is not a problem, if they have someone in a police car they will be there until the policeman lets them out. I know things vary from country to country, but that is so basic I couldn't imagine it not being the case.


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## ironpony (Aug 13, 2020)

Oh okay.  It's just if I write so the cop leaves the suspect in the back unattended for a bit, I want to make sure that the reader buys that the suspect cannot escape.


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## CyberWar (Aug 14, 2020)

The back doors of a police car lock cannot be unlocked from the inside for the very reason you mentioned. I know that for a fact, I've ridden in the back of a police car on a couple occasions  Here in my parts, cops on the beat in troublesome places usually drive around in a paddy wagon rather than an ordinary squad car, so they don't have to call for backup in case there's more than one or two suspects who need to be taken in.


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## Chris Stevenson (Aug 17, 2020)

Prone the suspect out and use mace (or the knife) as an offensive/defensive deterrent. 

But most importantly--call for backup if you lack the proper restraint tools. 

BTW, most officers carry tie-straps looped up in a pouch. This is for multiple arrests and crowd control.


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## Lee Messer (Aug 18, 2020)

Ok. Well, car doors are weaker than most people think. If your not bound with handcuffs, I would imagine you could use both feet, and some leverage with your arms free. You can break windows, or even the door itself if you're strong enough. If in handcuffs I imagine it's pretty hard to do though. Surely there are videos on youtube to research this. hold on. Yep, it's entirely possible. Ill advised, but possible. Key is that the inside of the door isn't steel... it's just plastic. The inside of the door reveals the breakable parts that hold the window, and the mechanical parts that can be accessed once removed (beaten to pieces). I mean, it's not an army tank.

As far as what the officer would do? I would have some extra heavy duty zipties on hand. I think I've seen them doing that fairly often when arresting large groups of people. I would imagine they'd have that available. I don't know. I'm not a police officer, but I've known some. I know they use them, but I just don't know if all of them have zipties on-hand.


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## ironpony (Aug 20, 2020)

Oh okay, thanks.  Well since I want the character to be locked in a police car and not able to get out, then I better have him in handcuffs or zipties then.


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