As an officer, you are going to encounter a countless number of suspects who have their hands in their pockets. Many will obey your verbal commands to take their hands out, and you should be ready to react if they present a weapon. Many others will not obey your commands, either because they are intoxicated, do not speak English, are deaf or are planning to hurt you with a hidden weapon. Unfortunately, they could all appear identical and impossible to tell apart on the street. While drawing down on the suspect is a tactical option, it is not always going to be the most appropriate response. When you find yourself in a situation where you need to go hands-on with the suspect to remove his hand from a pocket, it is very important that you choose a technique that affords you good control and the ability to immediately transition should you encounter a threat or resistance.
In this video, I demonstrate how to properly grab the suspect’s wrist (concentrating on getting your thumb and middle finger around the smallest part of the wrist where it bends). This places your hand in the proper position to exert partial control over the suspect’s hand. I chose to focus on the suspect’s right hand, because the majority of people are right handed. This technique can be duplicated on the left side.
If you see that the suspect’s hand is empty when it clears the pocket, you can proceed with your contact, but don’t forget about the suspect’s other hand. If you meet resistance, you can quickly transition into the figure four throw or any other technique that is appropriate for the situation.
In my previous post, “A Reasonable Force Option: Figure Four Throw“, I demonstrated the figure four throw. This technique can be used in numerous situations including empty hand resistance and armed assaults. The versatility of this technique makes it extremely useful for officers with a limited amount of training time.
You may notice that I draw my pistol at the very end of the demonstration. This is to show you that deadly force is still available if you need it. As with any defensive tactic, it is your responsibility to justify your use of force decisions and to remain within your department’s policies and the law.
Controlling a suspect with his hand in his pocket from Spartan Cops on Vimeo.
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