The following tip was submitted by a Corrections1 member. We welcome your feedback.
Escorting restrained subjects is one of the most frequent and routine practices in our job. It can also be one of the most dangerous aspects of our duties. We must be careful not to become complacent just because the subject is restrained, as they can head butt, bite or use the restraints as weapons against you and your fellow officers or they can take your weapon away from you.
We should also take into consideration that the subject may be looking for a big payday from a frivolous lawsuit. Remember, we are responsible for the safety of these subjects, and since they are restrained, they have less of a chance of protecting themselves from slips, falls and assaults. I would like to introduce an escort technique, based on my previous experience, that I believe allows for greater control of the restrained subject without compromising officer safety.
Most of us have had the experience as a child when an adult grabbed you by the upper arm in an attempt to move you. A typical response is to pull or jerk away due to the intrusive feeling of this action. These techniques are based upon the principal that movement defeats strength.
They are non-intrusive to the subject as compared to joint locks, pain-compliance or by the grabbing and squeezing of their limbs. You can perform these techniques whether the subject is handcuffed in front or behind their back, as well as in belly chains.
The first technique begins by placing your forearm into the crux of the subject’s elbow and placing the back of your hand against the subject’s ribs. A key point of this technique is to maintain contact with the subject by pressing your shoulder against the subject’s shoulder. This will allow you to feel the subject’s body movements and lessen the chance of a head butt.
Should the subject start to resist by tightening up in an attempt to pull away from you, simply apply pressure downward and at a 45 degree angle as if you were trying to put your hand in your pants pocket.
If the subject resists by pushing into you apply pressure with back of your hand against the subject’s ribs and redirect them away from you. By utilizing this technique you still have a free hand to radio for assistance or use other force options as applicable.
The second technique is for a more active, aggressive resisting subject. As in the first technique, place your forearm into the crux of the subject’s elbow, then place the back of your hand against the subject’s deltoid and take the free hand and place it palm to palm.
Next, apply pressure back and down at a 45 degree angle to take the subject to the ground.
Jon Ellingwood has been an instructor for 15 years, specializing in recognition of fraudulent identification, loss prevention and asset protection to various law enforcement agencies and private security companies. In addition, he has been a law enforcement instructor for 9 years, having taught courses related to defensive tactics, use of force and officer survival across the United States as well as Europe. Jon is a charter member of ILEETA as well as a certified intermediate instructor for One-on-One Control Tactics, a system developed by retired State Trooper, Steven Jimerfield. He currently is a correctional officer. You may contact him at liteone@gmail.com.