# How would the police handcuff a one-armed man? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151 "2003-12-05T14:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/1 "2003-12-05T14:04:08Z")
That`s it, well? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/2 "2003-12-05T14:07:25Z")
They might cuff him to another officer. Though if he’s kind of wild, that could be dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@Achilles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/3 "2003-12-05T14:14:11Z")
They could spancel him - tie his wrist to his ankle… Might look weird though… ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/4 "2003-12-05T14:19:42Z")
I expect they’d improvise. I imagine the arresting officer would hold his arm behind his back while examining his options, then possibly cuff him to his belt (behind suspect’s back). When the suspect only has one arm, the two-armed officer has a major advantage in terms of controlling him–the officer could conceivably not even cuff him, but rather hold the suspect’s arm behind his (suspect’s) back and place his (cop’s) other hand on the suspect’s head to “steer” him toward the car. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/5 "2003-12-05T14:26:35Z")
They’d pass the handcuffs through his backmost beltloop and cuff his one wrist twice behind his back. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/6 "2003-12-05T14:32:09Z")
No, wait. They’d pass the cuffs under his belt at the back and then cuff both his wrists behind him. Then they’d tell _The Fugitive_ he can go home. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/7 "2003-12-05T14:34:18Z")
What am I saying??? Make that cuff his one wrist, twice, but after first having passed the handcuffs under his belt in the back. I hope the one-armed man was unconscious all this time… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/8 "2003-12-05T16:21:37Z")
This all assumes that the man has a belt… or pants with beltloops (which are quite fragile BTW). ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/9 "2003-12-05T16:43:09Z")
Great question **whuckfistle**. Any police officers out there want to give us the real answer to this one. Paging **Badge** … ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/10 "2003-12-05T16:50:45Z")
Yes, the relative fragility of beltloops is why I switched to the belt method… I’ve seen fewer men with one arm than without belts. Your OP question was **How would the police handcuff a one-armed man?** , not **How would the police handcuff a one-armed, beltless man?** ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/11 "2003-12-05T18:07:08Z")
I think the police have to be prepared for the worse case scenario, and that would be NO BELT, NO BELTLOOPS. They can`t rely on what the guy might be wearing to cuff him. Besides, I`m the OPer and I can post edit my original Q at any time. 🙂 Not to mention, one armed people would have a tough go of it when it comes to getting dressed so I would imagine that belts are one of those things they might try to avoid having to wear. ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/12 "2003-12-05T18:14:15Z")
the police officer shouldnt have to cuff him any way, i assume he would have a little difficulty running away? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/13 "2003-12-05T18:17:42Z")
One ARM not one LEG. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/14 "2003-12-05T18:17:55Z")
One armed people don’t know how to run? ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/15 "2003-12-05T18:21:37Z")
i meant he might not be as balanced as someone with two arms because he only has half of the swinging motion ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/16 "2003-12-05T18:27:19Z")
BTW - **ekow2kn3** I think I got your username figured out. Something about waking up in the year two thousand 'n three. ---
**Author:** ![Flash-57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/839c29/32.png) [@Flash-57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flash-57)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/17 "2003-12-05T18:45:21Z")
I recall seeing belt chain-type handcuffs, where a chain is belted and locked around the perp’s waist and each cuff would be locked to the belt. A policeman could keep one of these things in the trunk of his car for this exact kind of situation. ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/18 "2003-12-05T18:50:49Z")
the one armed man would stand still and wait for the policeman to get the special handcuff from his trunk? oh and no, my username is my name Ekow, Ghanian for a male born on thursday and 2kn3 translates to 2000 and 3 - my highschool graduation year ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/19 "2003-12-05T20:06:00Z")
Perhaps I can ask my dad (who does regularly wear belts and runs quite well, thank you, for a man his age - despite having had only one arm since birth) to get arrested in my presence so we can learn the truth. Surely he would do that for us? I mean, it’s in the interest of science. He would love this thread, BTW. He’s where I got my sick sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151/20 "2003-12-05T20:11:19Z")
Hmm… i found a way to apprehend the suspect, if the one armed man is black, the police would probably use guns or a nightstick instead [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-police-handcuff-a-one-armed-man/217151.md?page=2)