By Cuffsandcops

The Gym Rat MP

One of my most enjoyble summer activities has been going to the gym at different times of the day. It has been fun to observe and interact with new people. I noticed a guy who was present at the gym no matter what time in the day I decided to go quite often over the past month or so. He always wears a shirt with an American flag on its shoulder and some reference to the military. His face is always clean shaven. He has tattoos up and down his arms and legs. He is a little shorter and smaller than I am. Based on his appearance, I assume he is a soldier of some kind.

Today I was back to hitting the gym during the dinner rush which is my typical time. I noticed that the gentleman described above was also there. After a great session, I entered the locker room to collect my belongings. The suspected soldier was putting his stuff into a bag right next to the locker I had used. I gave him time to close his bag before moving to my locker. I swapped my sneakers, put my earbuds away, and grabbed my keys. I had parked on the opposite side of the gym compared to normal due to the high volume of cars on the entrance side. I walked out the door and noticed the suspected soldier standing on the corner of the building pulling on his vape.

I walked up to the guy and he removed his headphones. I asked if he had any experience with handcuffs and told him that I noticed his shirts. He smiled and said that he did know how to use cuffs. I asked if he would mind putting me in a pair that I had recently purchased. He asked where I was parked so I pointed to my truck. He said he would come over to my truck in a few minutes. I went to my truck, put my sneakers and water bottle on the front seat. I then pulled the pair of Peerless Hinged handcuffs that are contained in a fold over snap case with the key clipped on it out of my center console.

After a few minutes, the gym rat made his way to my truck. I handed him the cuff case. He took the cuffs out and ran them through a few times. He then used the key to make sure they would open. He said he was checking. I introduced myself and he told me his name. I asked what his experience with cuffs was and he revealed that he was in the military police and had been injured in Afghanistan. He went on to say that he had just moved to the area and was spending a lot of time at the gym.

He next asked me if I wanted to get cuffed in front or like an arrest. I replied that I wanted it to be done right and turned my back to him. He said he wanted to do it how he knows and told me to put my hands on the hood on my truck. He positioned his right leg between mine and directed me to place my left hand behind my back. He placed the cuff on my wrist so my palm was facing in. He then reached for my right wrist which pulled me to an upright postion and placed the cuff on so that my palm was facing out. He then asked about the double lock and I told him it was a push button on the side. He said he was used to a slide double lock but was able to find the bottons and engage the double lock. He asked if they were too tight and I said he would know best.

After a minute, he started to unlock the handcuffs. Once they were off, the cuffs were handed back to me. I asked him if he had any tips or suggestions on how to get good at using them. He asked which was my dominant hand and mentioned that he shoots rifles with his left hand and pistols with his right. He said that practice helps. He talked about buying his duty cuffs, baton, and the cleaning kit he used for his weapons before he left the service. We talked briefly about where we both lived in the city. He mentioned he doesn’t have a car currently so I offered him a ride. He declined but said that if I saw him at the gym again that I could practice on him. I am confident our paths will cross again, and I am curious to see what kind of practice might develop.

 

The Youngster in the Burbs

You never know what will happen when holidays fall during the week and allow for a day off from work. I was notified that a watch I had brought to a store to get its battery replaced was ready for pick up. I drove to the shopping plaza where the jewelry store was in the early afternoon. I noticed a town police SUV sitting way in the back of a parking lot associated with a big box store across from there my watch was. I retrieved my watch from the store and noticed that the SUV was still parked in the same spot.

I drove my truck over to an open area of the parking lot facing the SUV. I left my phone and keys in my truck and walked over to the marked unit. The officer lowered his window and asked how he could help me. I asked if it would be possible to try on his handcuffs. The young officer had a very surprised look on his face and replied that it probably wasn’t a good idea to do it right there in the broad daylight. I asked if he knew of a better location to do it and he said he did not.

The officer stepped out of his vehicle and asked why I wanted to expereince being handcuffed. I told him that I was a teacher and had never been in trouble before and had always wondered what it felt like. He asked where I taught and it turned out his fiance works for the same district. He asked if I minded being cuffed in where we were. There was a lot of traffic moving thoughout the plaza and we were near a service road that cut through it. I said I didn’t mind.

The officer said alright and took a pair off cuffs off his duty belt with his right hand. I was told to turn around and place my hands behind my back, so I did. My left hand was pulled behind me and the cuff was applied, followed by my right hand. The officer told me that there was a chain between the cuffs that allowed for some movement and there were more restrictive cuffs with a hinge between them. I asked if there were as tight as he would put them on someone and he said they were.

I asked if it would be possible to sit in the back seat of his SUV and he opened the door. I slid into the seat. There wasn’t much leg room and the officer commented that newer vehicles have a space for cuffed hands to fit into in the seats. We talked about how long people spend in cuffs and in the back seat. I exited the SUV and turned my back to the officer to remove the cuffs. He had locked the cuffs on tight and there were red rings around my wrists even after just a few minutes.

The officer said that no one had ever asked him to get put into handcuffs. I said the worst that I thought would happen would be that he would say no. I thanked him for the conversation and the experience. We shook hands and exchanged names. I walked back to my truck and gave the officer a friendly wave when I drove past him to exit the parking lot. I admired the red rings on my wrists on the drive home and they remained there for a bit once I was home.

 

Sergeant Woof

This evening there is a Flannel Bar night and I did not have any in my closet. There were a couple stores in mind where I thought I could pick one up cheap so I headed out to see what I could find. As I pulled into the parking lot for the first store, I noticed that there was a police cruiser parked in the fire lane at the end of the building. I parked my truck and headed into the store. I thought about talking to the officer but decided I might wait until after I looked for a flannel shirt. I have asked officers from that department before if I could be handcuffed and the response was not a positive one, so I wasn’t sure if I had the guts to speak to the one sitting in the cruiser.

Luckily I found a great shirt for $17. I think I spent more time in line to pay than I did looking for the shirt. As I waited, I wondered if the cruiser would still be parked outside the store. I’m guessing that the store has been the subject of many thefts and that the cruiser was there to help with loss prevention. I was asked if I wanted a bag for 5 cents to put the shirt in and I declined, half hoping I might get stopped, looking like I had walked out with it.

As I exited the store, I noticed that the cruiser was still parked when it had been. I walked my new shirt to my truck. Left my phone and keys in the truck. I always have a cuff key on my key ring so I didn’t want that to be suspicious, and cops seem to think that they are going to be recorded all the time, so I left those items intentionally.

I walked up to the parked cruiser. I finally was able to see the face of the officer sitting in it and the salt and pepper beard immediately caught my attention. He rolled the window down and asked what was up. I asked if it would be possible to experience being handcuffed. I said I had never been in trouble and always wondered what that felt like. He repeated my request. I expected him to turn me down, but he said sure, and stepped out of his vehicle. I moved back by the trunk of the car.

He grabbed a pair of handcuffs off the front of his vest with his right hand and told me to put my hands behind my back. He took my left hand and locked the cuff on. Then my right hand was brought behind me and secured. I twisted my wrists back and forth since chin cuffs had been applied. I asked him if these were standard cuffs and he said they were and talked about hinged cuffs being the other type officers carry and how they allow for less movement.

The officer took his keys off his belt and moved into remove the cuffs. While he was unlocking the right cuff, I asked how tight the back seat was and if I could take a seat back there. I noticed that there was a divider in the middle of the back seat partitioning it into two parts. He locked the right cuff back on my wrist and opened the door to the back seat on the passenger side. I made my way into the seat and commented that there was more leg room than I had expected. I asked how long someone typically spends in cuffs and in the back seat and he replied not long unless their behavior warrants it. I got myself out of the backseat and turned away from him to get released.

Once the cuffs were off, I asked if I could check them out and he let me hold them. They were Smith and Wesson M100 chain cuffs. He said he has been an officer for 18 years. I asked if he had those cuffs for that long, and he said he carried a pair with him that was that old. I asked if the cuffs were provided by his department or if he bought them. He said the department gives one or two pairs and if officers want to use hinged or a certain brand then they can buy their own. I thanked him for the experience, shook his hand, and we exchanged names. Shoppers were going in and out of the store the entire time I was interacting with the officer. I wondered if they thought I was really being arrested. I walked back to my truck and rubbed my wrists. When I got home, I could still see the imprint from the cuffs.

Metal would like to thank the author, Cuffsandcops, for sharing these stories!

He is on X as PupKuffs