Comments on: How to Pick Your Way Out of Handcuffs

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:39:02 +0000

The hairpin method is taught at SERE school…it works on all cuffs because you are overiding the locking mechanism by prizing open the teeth on between the cuffs. However it means you gotta sew hairpins into your clothes for access.

By: DK

DK — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:36:59 +0000

I read this article and watched the video a few weeks ago after it was first posted. Little did I know I would actually use this information just a few weeks later.

One of my friends randomly brought handcuffs to bar on St. Patty’s day (she is the type of person who buys random stuff on impulse). After playing around with them and locking people to chairs, she ended up getting locked to another friend and getting the key taken away from her. We pocketed the key for about 2 hours until she finally begged to be released. We went to unlock the two girls from each other, only to find that the tip of the key had broken off and would not undo the lock. This is where my newly acquired lock picking skills came into hand. I got a bobby pin from a random person at the bar and had both people free in about 3 minutes. Not bad for my first try! Thanks again for an awesome lesson!

By: Curtis R.

Curtis R. — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:50:36 +0000

I am not a law enforcement officer.
I have ridden and training with some of Tulsa’s finest officers through the Explorer program here. Handcuffs are meant as temporary restraint, while the person is being watched. They are not meant as long term, set em and forget em restrains.
As a few people have mentioned as well, try doing this behind your back, sitting in a squad car and buckled in.

By: David

David — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:57:51 +0000

If the double lock is not used a comb can get you out

By: johnnyenglish

johnnyenglish — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:34:27 +0000

Interesting that nobody has mentioned handcuffs and sex!

By: jvangeld

jvangeld — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:41:11 +0000

The chances of getting handcuffed unlawfully (by someone who is not a law enforcement officer) is actually very high. For example, TSA agents are not law enforcement officers, they are employees of a federal agency that enforce the agency’s policy.

By: David Scott

David Scott — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:38:53 +0000

Interesting read, but not very practical. But then, there is no such thing as useless knowledge.

By: Michael H

Michael H — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:54:42 +0000

Holy cow!!

I don’t know why it still surprises me to see grown folks freakin’ out on the internet. hahah

Keep up the good work, Brett and Kate.
And kudos the the ITS Tactical team. I’ve recently found their website very interesting as well.

Michael

By: Tom Boy

Tom Boy — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:19:37 +0000

My cousin’s a locksmith and wouldn’t teach me anything to do with picking locks or handcuffs because I actually wanted to learn something, so I found this website and it’s taught me much. This is actually a really effective method and a really great article! And I would like to point out I’m not a man but hell I don’t really care because I’m a tom boy.

By: E. B. Van Arsdale

E. B. Van Arsdale — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:25:21 +0000

Indy, I have been looking for quite a while for an essay to support the premise that if one is allowed to rant long enough they will reveal their ignorance.

I would like to thank you for providing what will most likely become a classic example and thank you so much for repeating it several times.

I found your emotional tirade unmanly and totally uncalled for, especially in a forum dedicated to promoting civilized behavior among men.

But to address the subject of your post; Handcuffs are a temporary restraining device used upon a person to restrict their mobility and to provide increased safety for officers and the public. While in the vast majority of cases people placed in handcuffs are subsequently arrested, there is a string of court cases as long as your arm in support of the contention that under certain circumstances, officers may handcuff people that are not under arrest.

If you were treated poorly or unjustly by any LEO, I am sorry. But you should realize that IF it happened, it was the behavior of an individual, not all LEOs. Nevertheless you did have recourse. You could lodge a formal complaint, or even file a 1983 action in Federal Court.

In closing, I would like to remind you that while police officers are PUBLIC servants they are not your personal servants and while you are granted access to a system by which they may be held accountable for their behavior, your status as a law abiding citizen does not give you the individual authority to dictate their actions or behavior under any circumstamnces.

If you have a civilized question or comment, I would be most happy to reply in kind.