Putting an arrestee in the car...

[flydream777]

I have noticed that sometimes officers put their arrestees in the front seat of the car instead of in the back... Is this so they can see what the person is doing better? Is there a standard policy for your department, or how do you officers do it? If the policy is to put them in the back, does the policy dictate which side of the seat (driver's side or passenger's) ?

[Kieth M.]

In my case, if the car has a partition...I'm prevented from calling it a "cage" as the department will always use three syllables when one would work even better...then the arrestee goes in the back seat.

If there is no partition, the arrestee rides up front on the passenger seat, belted in, so I can see his hands/movement.

[PhilipCal]

Putting arrestee in car.

If your agency provides "cage cars", that's where you need to place your arrestee. If you're writing a citation, and the location is especially hazardous, or the weather is bad, you could have the violator sit in the front seat of the patrol unit.Personally, I never especially liked that option, and 99% of the time, had the violator remain in his vehicle. Make that 100% in the case of females. You'll probably get quite a few opinions on your question, and I'm not criticising anyone. Just giving you my two cents worth.

[Guams]

The cars we had at the park don't have cages, so the client rode up front. If it were a two man unit, the client goes in front, passenger officer goes in back. I don't necessarily like having them up front with me because it makes me a bit more nervous, but on the flip side, I can control them better if they try something.

[Sgt. Geezer]

Cuffed in the back.
Seated & belted in the rear seat / passenger side.

[AussiBronze]

hi folks...
Thought i'd give my two cents worth if you guys dont mind?
We are trained to have the grub in the back seat on the passenger side as Sgt Geezer has said.
most of our cars are caged, but if your driving one that's not, your partner will sit in the back behind the driver and the handcuffed person on the passenger side.
depending on why we've got him in the car most of the time we will have an officer sitting beside him...
We never have them in our car if we're writing them a ticket, they stay in their car or on the side of the road where we can see them.

after all, Going home at the end of a shift is the name of the game...

All the Best

[pujolsfan146]

after all, Going home at the end of a shift is the name of the game...

Right on the money. We have caged cars and everyone who has a reason to sit in my car sits in the back seat period. I have my patrol bag up front and I simply let people know my front seat is occupied with gear so they need to sit in the back.

On a side note ever notice how half the people we arrest act suprised when we cuff em and make the comment "why are you cuffing me? I am not a criminal."

[irishdep]

We too have the glass partitions/cages and the subject always rides back seat passenger side.

[t150vsuptpr]

Arrestees .... always up front in right seat, hands cuffed and double locked in back, harness on, and if they need it, I'll restrain their feet back against the far right rear of the front pass floor with a big red rope looped around the ankles and pulled outside the door before closing, it has a knot tied at the right spot so that the door must be opened to let go. At night, dome light and right side map light is on. If they even hint at spitting or throwing up, I have large plastic emergency blankets in the trunk that can be used in several ways, I'll probably use that one that I use to cover the seat when I transport new tires to the gas station/garage for mounting, a little tire residue never hurt and I can't see opening up a perfectly good new one.

If I have two arrestees and I cannot get other transport for #2 within a reasonable amount of time, depending on a wide variety of circumstances, they ride cuffed, etc in right rear seat, harnessed in, cuffed in back, feet .... no rope needed back there because it's damn tight anyway and they can't kick my radios and stuff.

If 3 arrestees or more, we'll wait until the cows come home if need be for more transport.

No cages here.

Other non arrestees like disabled motorist and vehicle acc victims, etc, either right front or right rear or both if need be. Sometimes I leave my gear up front and let one ride in back if a short ways.

No one rides in left rear seat, I have it stuffed with stuff for a reason.

[Magicman]

The only time I have ever put someone in the front seat of my car was when a young mother accidently hit a child on her way to work while he was going to the bus. I let her sit in the front and call her husband. Other than that, you sit in the back.

[Desert DPS]

Cuffed in the back.
Seated & belted in the rear seat / passenger side.

Always. I have had to make exceptions a couple of times due to disability/size issues but they still sit in the back on the passenger side in handcuffs.

[Fuzz]

The cars we had at the park don't have cages, so the client rode up front. If it were a two man unit, the client goes in front, passenger officer goes in back. I don't necessarily like having them up front with me because it makes me a bit more nervous, but on the flip side, I can control them better if they try something.

Please tell me that is sarcasm and not what you have to call them.

[Mirrain]

I'm so glad we have cages in all our units.

If we didn't though, I'd probably choose trunk over front seat. Come to think of it, the trunk would be an all around good idea to muffle the whining and life stories from day to day.

[Nightshift va]

ALWAYS CAGE OR NOT BACK SEAT PASSENGER SIDE. The first time your prisoner bites you will also usually be the last time you mess with belting them in. Yeah there is liability in that if you wreck but Ive seen people go crazy once they realize they are actually on the way to jail and that brief period you lean over them in their personal space (Especially Drunk Women) is when they bite you. The Troopers tend to transport in this state in the front. Belted in or not the risk of them interfering with your driving is too great to chance that though so I put them in the Back and make sure I search them well and the back seat before and after transport

[t150vsuptpr]

ALWAYS CAGE OR NOT BACK SEAT PASSENGER SIDE. The first time your prisoner bites you will also usually be the last time you mess with belting them in.

It's not so hard to belt them in without getting bit.

I want them up front where I can keep an eye on them.