POLICE LEARN ARREST TACTICS

Cape Girardeau Police officers are learning better forms of persuasion.

Officers were introduced to a method of subduing people who are struggling against arrest. Called CLAMP, the technique uses leverage to illicit cooperation.

"What we try to do is show the officers a way to control a person in a manner that would mean the most protection to both the person being taken into custody and the officer," said Cape Girardeau Police Sgt. Carl Kinnison, a CLAMP instructor.

Kinnison and patrol officer Bridget Huff instructed officers Wednesday and Thursday at the Osage Community Centre. Officers were shown the proper grips and moves that would quickly force a suspect's arm behind his back.

Kinnison said the most important aspect was the element of surprise. The officer's first move had to be done correctly or the suspect could squirm out of the hold.

Officers were shown how to approach from all angles, grab the suspect's wrist, turn the wrist and bend the elbow to work the arm behind the suspect's back. Once in that position, officers could force the suspect to the ground with leverage or force compliance by working the arm up the back.

"It does cause a little pain when you're doing it," Huff said, explaining that it is not the pain that forces submission though. "Because you're putting the shoulder in a position that it's not supposed to go, then they will comply with the officer's commands eventually."

Kinnison said the CLAMP technique works well with people who are numbed by alcohol or drugs or who have a high tolerance for pain.

"Where their shoulders go, they go," he said.

Huff said the technique was developed in 1989 and introduced to police departments in 1994.

Kinnison said CLAMP can be used when a suspect is on the ground, standing or in a car. The technique is relatively easy to learn and officers will practice the holds to master them.

"The philosophy in training in law enforcement is to keep it as simple as possible," Kinnison said. "You have to remember these things in high-stress, high-anxiety situations. The more complicated the technique is, the worse it's going to work."