Handcuff key holes up or down?

Question

When you handcuff someone what ways do the key holes go down (towards the floor) or up (towards the sky)

Answer 1

I totally agree with Retro....dont worry about something so stupid. Just get the d**n things on and double lock them. Unlocking handcuffs is always gonna be a pain whether they're up or down. It only takes a few seconds to get them off anyway.

Answer 2

if theyre resisting i dont care cause i just need em on! if theyre cooperating i like to face outward towards me for ease of removal.  for leg shackles same principle, but i put key holes cause i make em kneel on a chair while i put them on and remove them (after theyre cuffed of course)

Answer 3

UP... I'm sure through previous experience... We've all messed that up at some time. I greatly dislike it when we are in a hurry and put them down. That's always fun.

Answer 4

Sometimes they are up and sometimes they are down.

In many cuffing situations I have more important things on my mind...like putting the clown in the cuffs, while he's fighting me, and before I get hurt...

Answer 5

towards the sky..allows you better access when taking them off

Answer 6

I was taught...To the sky...the way to fly

Answer 7

The only mistake you can make is to worry about whether the holes are up or down. That's attending to something that makes absolutely no difference in how efficiently you get someone under control. If it's a little bit inconvenient when it's time for them to come off. so what? The hesitation about getting the holes one way around or another is attention taken away from the job at hand. They should be going on so fast that you don't have time to look at the holes. That moment is the time when studies show that a person is most likely to resist.  

Answer 8

Hello Andrew. I will respectfully disagree with some of my illustrious fellow posters in this issue. The keys holes always go UP, towards the sky. One of the oldest tricks going is for people to have spare or fake cuff keys secreted that work. If the key holes are pointed down, they will have access by bending a wrist.

What is taught in my department and I have been using for 20 years is to hold the cuffs with the double rails towards you. You dont have to look at them to orient, you can feel it. When you apply the cuffs with the double rails facing you, the key hole is always in the up position.

This keeps all of us safer and something I stress with new officers for on the job training.

Best of luck and I hope this is useful to you