Which of the following is NOT listed as a justified reason for handcuffing?

• A. Crime committed
• B. Escape risk
• C. Safety hazard
• D. To gain cooperation

Answer: (D)

Handcuffing is a safety measure tied to objective risk during an arrest or detention. The situations that justify it are when a crime has been committed (or is suspected) and restraint is needed to prevent flight or harm, when there is a clear risk the person might escape, and when the environment or the situation presents a safety hazard that could put the officer or others at risk. These criteria are about controlling risk and protecting people, not about forcing someone to cooperate.

Gaining cooperation is not a justified reason for handcuffing. Using restraints to secure someone's compliance relies on coercion rather than presenting a genuine safety or investigative need, and it can cross legal and policy lines. In practice, officers aim to resolve encounters through de-escalation, lawful commands, and only applying restraints when there’s a legitimate risk that justifies them.

So the idea that isn’t listed as a justified reason is using handcuffs to compel someone to cooperate.