By Cuffsandcops

While out running a few errands this evening, my truck signaled that the fuel level was low. I had already been thinking about running my truck through a car wash in order to wipe the first layer of winter salt and grime from its outside. I decided to head for a one stop shop and pulled in to gas up. I swiped my card and pressed a few buttons to include a car wash in the total bill. The nozzle was removed and I began to fill up the truck.

It was then that I heard a very distinct sound that made my head snap up. The sound was that of a pair of handcuffs clinking together. It came from the vehicle parked at the pump in front of mine. Actually it was made by a pair of standard Peerless chain cuffs that were dangling from a strap above the left leg of a man dressed in blue.

I took a closer look at the officer. I would put him at a little over 6 feet tall and about 250 pounds or more with a buzzed haircut and a scruffy goatee.

As I stood at the pump, I took a closer look at the officer. The patch on his shoulder was not that of any of the local police departments and I didn’t recognize the Jeep Cherokee he was driving. It lacked a light bar so I thought he was likely either on his way to or from a shift somewhere. He carried a second pair of cuffs on his duty belt in the middle of his back. As he fiddled with the gas pump, that front pair of cuffs kept clanging. I thought about trying to sneak a pic with my phone. A big smile came over my face.

I really wanted my truck to fill up before his. I thought about stopping it early. Luckily I heard a click indicating the job was done. I put the hose away and collected my receipt. The officer was still filling his vehicle. I decided to approach him and ask him the question I have posed before to officers with mixed reviews. “Any chance I can try on your handcuffs?” I went on to say I have never been before and always wondered what it felt like. The officer chuckled and said he didn’t have a key on him. I have heard that line before and immediately called bullshit. He went on to pat his chest and said he had just lost the key he carried when his kids were playing around prior to his shift.

It was then that I reached into my pocket and pulled out my key ring. I held up a handcuff key with Peerless engraved on the rim. The officer laughed again and said well we still have to see if it fits. Clearly a Peerless handcuff key is going to fit and open Peerless handcuffs. I bit my tongue and watched as the officer inserted the key into the hole on one of the cuffs from the front of his belt. With the turn of his wrist, the arm swung through and the cuff opened. He asked me if I just wanted to try one on and I quickly came back with my response. “I want you to do it like I am being arrested.” He snapped the open cuff closed and I turned away from him.

The officer pulled my sweatshirt sleeves up and turned my left arm so that my palm was facing out. He quickly applied the handcuff and tightened it up snuggly. My right arm was then grabbed and the process was repeated. The officer stated that due to the broadness of my shoulders, it was likely that 2 sets of cuffs would be applied if I were being arrested. Not for nothing but I kinda hate the image of double cuffing. I actually purchased sets with longer chains between the cuffs so that I don’t have to get into situations where two sets would be needed.

I asked him how the tightness of the cuffs compared to normal situations. The officer did the thumb test on my left wrist and said they were applied properly. He commented that it is not comfortable to remain cuffed for as long as someone usually has to wear them. I asked how long that usually was. He said it usually takes about 10 or fifteen minutes for the cops to come to get someone. That triggered me to inquire about where he worked. It turned out he was a security guard for the shopping mall down the street. I then saw the stripe on the car with the mall’s name on it. He said a person would be cuffed at the mall and then taken to the police station where things typically moved slowly.

This entire exchange took place in the middle of a busy car wash/gas station with very bright lights. I stood cuffed with my hands behind my back for around 5 minutes conversing with the officer. It got to that point where I turned back around to face away from the officer. I lifted my hands. He fiddled with my ring of keys as he tried to unlock a cuff. He commented that he was used to a key the size of a pen. The right cuff was opened and removed. I turned around to give him a better angle on the left one. He removed it swiftly, ratcheted both cuffs closed, and snapped them back onto his belt. I thanked the officer and shook his hand.

As I walked back to my truck, I laughed to myself. I had told the officer that I had never been in cuffs before, yet produced a cuff key from my pocket. He never once questioned why I had that particular key on my ring. I drove my truck around back and it took all I had to not rub one out while hidden among the sponges, suds, and lights of the wash tunnel. The officer easily fit my dreams of the beefy bear officer who takes me into custody. When I got home, I noticed that there were a few red spots and just enough of a cuff imprint on both wrists, which is always a bonus. You never know what might happen when you take a chance.

Metal would like to thank Cuffsandcops for this report.