Dictionary:
hand·cuff (hănd'kŭf')  |
| How Products are Made: How are handcuffs made? |
Background
Handcuffs are standard law enforcement and security industry tools used for restraining and controlling dangerous or unreasonable people. Police officers routinely use handcuffs in their work. When using handcuffs, police officers need to employ great care and good judgment. Officers can be civilly or criminally liable for the improper use of handcuffs, especially when injury results.
Handcuffs restrain an individual with handcuffs when the open bracelet is placed upon a body part, usually the wrist, and the ratchet is locked in place. When open, the ratchet pivots freely on a pivot. When closed, the teeth of the ratchet engage the teeth of the spring-loaded pawl located inside the bracelet. The pawl is forced against the ratchet, which locks the two sets of teeth together. To open the handcuff, the pawl must be disengaged from the ratchet teeth. This is accomplished by the handcuff key that unlocks the primary lock.
History
Handcuffs have been used as a means of restraint for several centuries. However, before 1862, they were essentially a "one size fits all" device. These early cuffs, which were simply metal rings that locked in place, created discomfort for people with thick wrists and were ineffective when used on people with thin wrists. That changed in 1862, when W. V. Adams revolutionized the device with the invention of adjustable ratchets that could bind wrists tightly or loosely. An Adams cuff consisted of a square bow with notches on the outside that engaged with a lock mechanism shaped like a teardrop. Several years later, Orson C. Phelps patented a version of the ratchet handcuff that placed the ratchet notches on the inside of the square bow.
In 1865, an entrepreneur named John Tower used the Adams and Phelps patents to start his own handcuff company. The Tower Company manufactured handcuffs until World War II, and though it always employed the Adams patent, its products set the standards for precision, craftsmanship and effectiveness. The first Tower cuff was based on the Phelps design, with notches on the inside and a three-link chain connecting the two cuffs. The second cuff was more similar to the Adams handcuff. The keyhole location was moved from the side of the lock case to the bottom, and it featured a round bow. Also, it featured three round rings between the cuffs, instead of a chain. The outer two rings were perfectly round while the middle ring was bent, just like the rings on the Adams cuff. In addition, the lock case of this second cuff was smaller. Tower applied for his first handcuff patent in 1871. His design innovation was a round bow meant as an improvement to the square bow of the Phelps and Adams cuffs. The patent was finally issued in 1874.
With the adjustable-fit handcuffs, a design flaw was evident: the spring loaded mechanism that allowed the cuffs to be adjustable also allowed the cuffs to be tampered with so that the restrained person would be able to spring the lock and escape. Tower solved that problem with the introduction of the double lock handcuff, which he patented in 1879. The lock had two settings: a single-lock mode and double-lock mode. The first mode acted just like a single-lock handcuff. The user could turn the key clockwise to set the cuff into double-lock mode, which froze that catch or bolt, effectively preventing any escaping. The double lock model set the standard both for effectiveness and engineering.
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the handcuff industry continued to change and handcuff design innovations were implemented. One inventor (E. D. Bean in 1882) created a release button to keep the locking mechanism from engaging until the officer released a button and then the cuffs were locked. This mechanism's purpose was to stop cuffs from closing and locking (during a struggle, for example) before the officer could get the cuffs around the offender's wrists. This problem was more effectively solved by another inventor's patent for a swing-through ratchet. This design ensured that the cuffs would not lock unless placed on a wrist. The resulting Peerless cuffs (patented in 1912) set a new standard for the handcuff industry, and became the model for modern cuffs.
Raw Materials
Raw materials include chrome steel, nickel plating for the handcuff plating, and metal springs.
Design
Handcuffs typically do not vary much from the standard. A standard pair of modern handcuffs weighs no more than 15 oz (425 g). The minimum opening of the bracelet is 2 in (5 cm). The minimum inside perimeter of the bracelet is 7.9 in (20 cm) when the ratchet is engaged at the first notch. The maximum perimeter is 6.5 in (16 cm) when the ratchet is engaged at the last notch. The maximum overall length of the handcuffs is 9.4 in (24 cm).
The Manufacturing
Process
Quality Control
According to National Institute of Justice Standards, a finished pair of handcuffs must be free of 16 defects to be deemed acceptable for use. Defects include corrosion, broken or loose parts, or cracked or incomplete welding.
Finished handcuffs are put through a variety of tests to ensure practicality. They are blasted with salt for 12 hours. After that time the product should not have severely corroded or discolored, and they should function as normal. Handcuff standards also dictate that a handcuffs cannot be opened when a tensile force of 495 lbf is applied for a minimum of 30 seconds.
Parts cannot be missing, broken, malformed, loose, or not in proper alignment. Rivets and pins must be secure. The rivets and pins must be free of any burrs, slivers, sharp edges, dents, or tool marks, and the metal must not be split or cracked. The end of the pin must be set below the exposed surface of the plate. Welding must be complete and free of cracks.
Manufacture markings must be present, visible, legible, correct, and permanent. The key must be able to unlock the handcuff. The handcuff must be able to be double-locked. Also, it should require no force to remove the handcuff. The openings and closings of the handcuffs must function properly.
Byproducts/Waste
In the manufacturing of handcuffs, there is not much waste. Any defective steel can be either recycled or melted down and remolded. Waste from the salt testing is minimal. Most of the salt is reused.
The Future
As the technology of metals and steels grow, so will the evolution of handcuffs. The durability of handcuffs will increase as will the locks. Criminals will no longer be able to pick the locks or maneuver out of them. New device are being used, but it is doubtful that they will make handcuffs obsolete. Police are using a variation of plastic ties to secure criminals. The tie is made of tough, high quality plastic and securely wraps around the person's wrist. To remove this tie, it is simply cut off. Also, handcuffs are considered a more humane way to detain criminals, as opposed to rubber bullets and sprays.
Where to Learn More
Books
Harris, James. A Study of Handcuff Improvements. 1989.
Peters, John G. Tactical Handcuffing for Chain and Hinged Style Handcuffs. Ventura, CA: Reliapon Police Products, Incorporated, 1989.
Other
Brave, M. A., and J. G. Peters Jr. Liability Assessments and Awareness International, Inc. Web Page. December 2001. <http://www.laaw.com>.
Lauher, Joseph W. Handcuffs.org Web Page. December 2001. <http://www.handcuffs.org>.
[Article by: Dan Harvey]
| Thesaurus: handcuff |
noun
verb
| Antonyms: handcuff |
| Wikipedia: Handcuffs |
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist. Without the key, the person cannot move their wrists more than a few centimetres/inches apart, making many tasks difficult or impossible. This is usually done to prevent suspected criminals from escaping police custody.
Contents |
There are two distinct subtypes of contemporary metal handcuffs: one in which the cuffs are held together by a short chain, and another, of more recent origin, which uses a hinge for this purpose. Since hinged handcuffs permit less movement than a chain cuff, they are generally considered as more secure. A third type, the rigid handcuff, has a metal block or bar between the cuffs. While bulkier to carry it permits several variations in cuffing, and example of rigid handcuffs are Hiatts Speedcuffs as used by most police forces in the United Kingdom. Both rigid and hinged cuffs can be used one-handed to apply pain-compliance/control techniques that are not workable with the chain type of cuff. Various accessories are available to improve the security or increase the rigidity of handcuffs, including boxes that fit over the chain or hinge and can themselves be locked with a padlock.
Handcuffs may be manufactured from various metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium, or from synthetic polymers.
Sometimes two pairs of handcuffs are needed to restrain a person with an exceptionally large waistline because the hands cannot be brought close enough together; in this case, one cuff on one pair of handcuffs is handcuffed to one of the cuffs on the other pair, and then the remaining open handcuff on each pair is applied to the person's wrists. Oversized handcuffs are available from a number of manufacturers, as are juvenile-sized restraints, though none of the latter in current production are approved for use by the United States National Institute of Justice.
Handcuffs with double locks have a lock-spring which when engaged stops the cuff from ratcheting tighter to prevent the wearer from tightening them. Tightening could be intentional or by struggling, when tightened the handcuffs may cause nerve damage or loss of circulation. Also some wearers could tighten the cuffs to attempt an escape by having the officer loosen the cuffs and while the cuffs are loose attempt the escape. Double locks also make picking the locks more difficult.
There exist three kinds of double locks as described in a Smith & Wesson brochure:
These are double-locked by fully lifting the lever with a fingertip and then allowing it to return. This causes the lock spring to move into a position that locks the bolt thus preventing the cuff from being further tightened. Thus no tool is required to double lock this type of cuff.
These are double-locked by fully depressing the push pin using the small peg on the top of the key. This causes the lock spring to move into a position that locks the bolt thus preventing the cuff from being further tightened.
These are double-locked by inserting the small peg on the top of the key into the double lock slot. In this position, the small peg can contact the end of the lock spring. The key is then slid towards the key hole. This causes the lock spring to move into a position that locks the bolt, thus preventing the cuff from being further tightened.
Plastic restraints, known as wrist ties, riot cuffs, plasticuffs, flexicuffs, flex-cuffs, tri-fold cuffs, zapstraps, or zip-strips, are lightweight, disposable plastic strips resembling electrical cable ties. They can be carried in large quantities by soldiers and police and are therefore well-suited for situations where many may be needed, such as during large-scale protests and riots. In recent years, airlines began to carry plastic handcuffs as a way to restrain disruptive passengers. Disposable restraints are considered by many[who?] to be highly cost-inefficient; they cannot be loosened, and must be cut off to permit a restrained subject to be fingerprinted, or to attend to bodily functions. It is not unheard of for a single subject to receive five or more sets of disposable restraints in their first few hours in custody. Recent products have been introduced that serve to address this concern, including disposable plastic restraints that can be opened or loosened with a key; more expensive than conventional plastic restraints, they can only be used a very limited number of times, and are not as strong as conventional disposable restraints, let alone modern metal handcuffs. In addition, plastic restraints are believed by many to be more likely to inflict nerve or soft-tissue damage to the wearer than metal handcuffs.[citation needed]
On occasions when a suspect exhibits extremely aggressive behavior, leg irons may be used as well; sometimes the chain connecting the leg irons to one another is looped around the chain of the handcuffs, and then the leg irons are applied, resulting in the person being "hog-tied". In a few rare cases, hog-tied persons lying on their stomachs have died from positional asphyxia, making the practice highly controversial, and leading to its being severely restricted, or even completely banned, in many localities.
Most modern handcuffs in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Latin America can be opened with the same standard universal handcuff key. This allows for easier transport of prisoners and keeps one out of trouble if one loses one's keys. However, there are handcuff makers who use keys based on different standards. Maximum security handcuffs require special keys. Handcuff keys usually do not work with thumbcuffs. Recently, a number of padlocks have been marketed which use this same standard key.
Somewhat recently, the Universal handcuff key was taken one step further, resulting in U.S. Patent # D454,774, a handcuff key which is readily accessible behind a police officer's breast badge. Invented by Michael Anthony Stahl, the device was licensed to the New York City Police Department in 2002. Stahl developed the key as a result of service as an Officer with Pinkerton's, Inc., where supervision and transportation of work-release personnel was a daily occurrence.
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In the past, police officers typically handcuffed an arrested person with his hands in front, but since approximately the mid-1960s behind-the-back handcuffing has been the standard. The vast majority of police academies in the United States today also teach their recruits to apply handcuffs so that the palms of the suspect's hands face outward after the handcuffs are applied; the Jacksonville, Florida Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are notable exceptions, as they favor palms-together handcuffing. Also, suspects are handcuffed with the keyholes facing up (away from the hands) to make it difficult to open them even with a key or improvised lock-pick.
Because a person's hands are used in breaking falls, being handuffed introduces a significant risk of injury if the prisoner trips or stumbles. For this reason, the police officers having custody of the person need to be ready to catch a stumbling prisoner. The risk of the prisoner losing balance is higher if the hands are handcuffed behind the back than if they are handcuffed in front.
Some prisoners being transported from custody to outside locations, for appearances at court, to medical facilities, etc., will wear handcuffs augmented with a belly chain. In this type of arrangement a metal, leather, or canvas belt is attached to the waist, sometimes with a locking mechanism. The handcuffs are secured to the belly chain and the prisoner's hands are kept at waist level. This allows a relative degree of comfort for the prisoner during prolonged internment in the securing device, while providing a greater degree of restriction to movement than simply placing the handcuffs on the wrists in the front.
Since handcuffs are only intended as temporary restraints, they are not the most complicated of locks.[1] This is why escaping from handcuffs is a common stunt performed by magicians or skilled criminals, perhaps most famously Harry Houdini.
There are ways of escaping from handcuffs:
The above methods are often used in escapology. As most people's hands are larger than their wrists, the first method was much easier before the invention of modern ratchet cuffs, which can be adjusted to a variety of sizes. Modern handcuffs are generally ratcheted until they are too tight to be slipped off the hands. However, slipping out of ratchet cuffs is still possible. During his shows, Harry Houdini was frequently secured with multiple pairs of handcuffs. Any pair that was too difficult to be picked was placed on his upper arms. Being very muscular, his upper arms were far larger than his hands. Once he had picked the locks on the lower pairs of handcuffs, the upper pair could simply be slipped off.
It is also technically possible to break free[2] from handcuffs by applying massive amounts of force from one's arms to cause the device to split open or loosen enough to squeeze one's hands through; however this takes exceptional strength (especially with handcuffs made of steel). This also puts an immense amount of pressure on the biceps and triceps muscles, and when tried by suspects (even unsuccessfully) can lead to injury, including bruising around the wrists, or tearing the muscles used (including pulling them off their attachments to the bones).[citation needed]
Another common method of escaping (or attempting to escape) from being handcuffed behind the back, is that one would, from a sitting or lying position, bring one's legs up as high upon one's torso as possible, then push one's arms down to bring the handcuffs below one's feet, finally pulling the handcuffs up using one's arms to the front of one's body. This can lead to awkward or painful positions depending on how the handcuffs were applied, and typically requires a good amount of flexibility. It can also be done from a standing position, where, with some degree of effort, the handcuffed hands are slid around the hips and down the buttocks to the feet; then sliding each foot up and over the cuffs. These maneuvers, and the reverse (otherwise impossible) maneuver of bringing the handcuffed hands up behind the back and forwards over the head and then down in front, can be done fairly easily by some people who were born without collarbones because of the inherited deformity called cleidocranial dysostosis.
From this position, one has a better chance of attempting to use a tool (such as a shim or lockpick) to work one's way out of the handcuffs.
In Japan, if someone is photographed or filmed while handcuffed, their hands have to be pixelated if it is used on TV or in the newspapers.[citation needed] This is because someone who had been arrested brought a successful case to court arguing that being pictured in handcuffs implied guilt, and had prejudiced the trial. Similarly, in Hong Kong, people being arrested and led away in handcuffs are usually given the chance by the policemen to have their heads covered by a black cloth bag.
Police handcuffs are sometimes used in sexual bondage and BDSM activities. This is potentially unsafe, because they were not designed for this purpose, and their use can result in nerve or other tissue damage; bondage cuffs were designed specifically for this application.
Handcuffs are familiar enough for the word to be used in metaphors, e.g.:
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| Translations: Handcuff |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - håndjern
v. tr. - give håndjern på
Nederlands (Dutch)
handboei, in de boeien slaan
Français (French)
n. - menottes
v. tr. - passer les menottes à
Deutsch (German)
n. - Handschelle
v. - Handschellen anlegen
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χειροπέδη
v. - περνώ χειροπέδες σε
Italiano (Italian)
ammanettare
Português (Portuguese)
n. - algemas (f pl)
v. - algemar
Русский (Russian)
наручник, одевать наручники
Español (Spanish)
n. - (en plural) esposas
v. tr. - esposar, poner las esposas
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - handboja
v. - sätta handbojor på
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
手铐, 镣铐, 束缚, 给...戴上手铐, 束缚...的手脚, 限制
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 手銬, 鐐銬, 束縛
v. tr. - 給...戴上手銬, 束縛...的手腳, 限制
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 수갑
v. tr. - 수갑을 채우다, 구속하다, ~을 방해하다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 手錠
v. - 手錠を掛ける
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) قيد, صفد, غل (فعل) يقيد, يصفد, يكبل
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - אזיקים
v. tr. - כבל באזיקים
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| How Products are Made. How Products are Made. Copyright © 2002 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Handcuffs". Read more |
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