Breaking handcuffs with pure strength

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Danger Dave, I'm not aware of any cases where the poor little helpless felon complained because they broke their poor little wrists on because the cuffs weren't weak enough to break. If I had heard of such a thing, I'd be nauseous with contempt. They are called restraints for a reason.
 
Had a critter show me how to break a pair of 'cuffs once. He used the square hole in the tab of an ordinary seatbelt. He popped the rotating link that joins the chain to the body of the 'cuffs, using the seatbelt tab for leverage.

Whenever a critter opined that he wasn't going to wear 'cuffs, he automatically got the Peerless hinged handcuffs and a gentle warning not to break his hand off.

LawDog
 
Strangely enough I think I'd be more `confidant' about a set of cuffs made out of some of the newer polymers VS metal. The reasoning being that the polymer ones could be made to flex a lot more without snapping when a force was applied to them. (And for those that would worry about stretching... All that would have to be done would be to design the polymer `chain' to provide the necessary `linear' strength to resist the stretching. It wouldn't affect how it would react to `torsional' effects.)


Having said that I think that until someone or some company actually does sit down and design a set I'll stick with one of the `old fashioned' `tried and true' sets for now. (And this is even after I saw just how much it actually takes to snap, or in this particular case not snap, a *properly applied* `cable tie' setup! [The prisoner that was wearing them ended up with both wrists broken and some *very* livid bruises! But! He *didn't* get them off and because he'd `hardened' them with his struggles it actually took a pair of *bolt cutters' to cut them off! The pair of 8" `dikes' they tried first, after the scissors, wouldn't touch them! This guy was a cross between Mongo and Magilla the Gorilla! I would hated to have seen just what anything besides a pair of `super cuffs' would have been like from what one of the officers said had happened before.])
 
it would take at least a thousand pounds of pressure to break those chains cause that is the limit of most hancuff chains.
 
David Scott, I think the incidents were more like where the cuffed suspect (felons are convicted, suspects are under arrest) either fell, or the cuffs were grabbed by the officer to control him. The lack of a chain supposedly transfers more stress to the cuffed individual's wrists...

Now, if they broke their wrists trying to get out of them, I agree - too bad, too sad.
 
Cuffs...

It was and still is a strong man feat to break chains and handcuffs. And I have heard of hinge cuffs being broken too. I believe a lot of it is technique, but it is still being done. Some of these guys are amazing and without a doubt extremely powerful.
 
I read a report about a guy break a set of Peerless cuffs. He was buzzing on meth.

I filed Criminal Mischief, Theft and Resisting Law Enforcement. Saw guy in court for his initial hearing--5 foot 7 inches max and skinny in that meth user way!

Mongos not necessary.
 
I say again, the breaking strength needed to pop the chain on a pair of Smith & Weson or Peerless 'cuffs is 1,900 PSI.

As to other 'cuffs, I don't know.

J.B.
 
One doesn't necessarily have to break the 'cuffs to get them off. As I mentioned in the Gen Discussion Forum, I have removed a pair of cuffs placed upon me by Law Enforcement. I then placed my hands in front of my body (where I had wanted them cuffed), and recuffed myself.

Spectre, 147 lbs of deadly jello-like substance.
 
Breaking Hinged Peerless Handcuffs

I read through all the stories and I joined the sight to share with all other LEO and hopefully save an LEO from what I have gone through.

This is with Peerless hinged cuffs that were double locked.

While in my departments holding cell (Guns are not allowed in my depts holding cell) my prisoner who was arrested on DWI who had been acting up and luckily I asked for another officer to assit and two other officers were already at the jail with other subjects. He was acting if on something more than alchohol with his mood swings and had advised he was prior gang from Atlanta and has priors for assault on LEO.

The handcuff was firmly attached to his left wrist and was attached by approx. 3 or 4 clicks in on the wall to his left side. When he stood up he turned around causing his left arm to come across the front of his body. When he was standing the Male (single piece) side of the cuff was on the ring attached to the wall. When he pulled away from the wall he twisted it alowing the pulling strength to pull against the male piece. Due to cuffs being hinged cuffs, when he twisted and pulled it, it allowed the metal to stretch just enough to come off the cleat and allow the cuff to come out of the female end leaving the cuff on his left hand and the other end hanging out as a weapon. Luckily with all four of us their we were able to "assist" him to the ground and get another set of cuffs on him due to the metal being bent and that pair not working anymore.

From this through research and talking with people the number one cause of the cuff being able to get undone was it not being in enough clicks. I have been told it needs to be in about halfway (even on both ends) to be most effective in not being able to be broken away in the same manor. By it being in farther it prevents the twisting motion and if it does jump track it should rengage prior to comming off.

I know some will not believe this posting and although I have video, I am not alowed to release it due to an internal investigation on it. I only added the information about the cuffs being able to break and left out all the details due to the internal investigation.
 
Interesting thread, but off topic for TFL.

On a related note, how strong are the tie-wrap kind they use for riots ?
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The police use tie-wraps with a metal cable core, I believe. If they don't, they should. It is very simple to compromise solid plastic tie-wrap cuffs. It requires only a few seconds, is very quiet and requires no strength at all. I'm not going to describe the technique although it's not really a secret as far as I know--I mention it only as a warning to those who think a person in plastic tie-wrap cuffs is secured.
 
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