Trainer Talk

As the name suggests, handcuff neuropathy is an injury—usually to someone in police custody—caused by overtightening of handcuffs. Over-compression most often damages the superficial radial nerve,  and this damage can be severe and permanent.

I started my Law enforcement career in 1991. At that time, Academy classes were six months long and fairly challenging. Several of my friends went through the process and told me to be prepared for the hard work ahead.

Have you ever seen the way many police officers stand? My department had what we affectionately called “heavy arm syndrome”—upon graduating the academy, probationary police officers caught this condition from seasoned veterans.

The classic friction lock baton is simple and incredibly reliable—that’s why so many officers have depended on it for so many years. But its main drawback is that not all situations or environments provide suitable opportunities to execute the dynamic techniques required to open or close the baton.