NCJ Number
73505
Date Published
1977
Length
42 pages
Annotation
General guidelines to be used by police officers in the safeguarding of prisoners are presented; different types of situations are addressed, and techniques for avoiding injuries and preventing escapes are emphasized.
Abstract
Although the publication was prepared by the New York City Police Department, the information is applicable to police officers throughout the country. Direct observation of the prisoner at all times is essential in preventing escapes. The use of restraining devices and facilities, such as handcuffs and holding pens, are not substitutes for the continued visual presence of the guarding officer. Moreover, there is a tendency to relax control over prisoners upon entering stationhouses, based on the erroneous assumption that the precinct atmosphere provides additional security capability. In fact, most escapes actually occur from within these facilities. Other escape-prone locations are department vehicles and hospitals. Described herein are appropriate techniques for handling prisoners in a variety of circumstances, including the initial frisk, search of prisoners, finger printing, handcuffing, prisoner movement, prisoner transportation, and the hospital environment. Basically, the frisk is a methodical external body examination of a prisoner at a crime location or immediately upon apprehension to find weapons and/or evidence. The prisoner's body is frisked in four sections, while the gun is pointed at the prisoner. Specific procedures are designed for multiple suspect frisks involving one or two officers. The search involves a thorough inspection of the prisoner's clothing to discover weapons, contraband, and evidence. It is conducted at the stationhouse, as is the strip search, a more comprehensive examination. Whenever a prisoner is in police custody, the prisoner should be handcuffed except when: fingerprinted, photographed, searched, lodged in a cell, appearing in a lineup, personal necessity intervenes, in a courtroom, receiving medical attention at an emergency facility, or admitted to a hospital. Photographs and 16 references are included.