CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hogtying is a troublesome word and a dangerous act. It involves putting a person on his stomach and tying his cuffed hands to his bound feet behind his back with an adjustable nylon belt, a device known as a "hobble." Police officers have said the hogtie position is used to restrain individuals who can't be restrained any other way and would otherwise pose a danger to themselves and those around them. The hobble device can be used to restrain someone's legs without placing them in the compromised hogtie position.
The Department of Justice warned against hogtying as far back as 1995, in a bulletin instructing police how to prevent deaths in custody. The paper instructed officers to move the suspect off of his stomach as soon as he was handcuffed, and included this directive: "Never tie the handcuffs to a leg or ankle restraint."
The roughly 18,000 police departments in the U.S. have different policies, procedures and training. Most of the nation's largest police agencies tend to show awareness that the hogtie is dangerous, but not all ban it.
NBC News and The Marshall Project reviewed the policy manuals for departments in the 30 largest cities in the U.S.
Twenty-two have clear language prohibiting hogtying or attaching hands and feet behind a person's back.
But in Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Houston and Indianapolis, officers are allowed to restrain a person in this manner in certain circumstances or with certain provisions.
Charlotte Police Department policy advises officers to avoid hogtying but does not forbid it. Columbus police officers are told to make sure to provide slack in the rope that ties the hands and feet together. In Houston, only officers who are specifically trained in the technique can use it. Indianapolis warns officers to closely monitor people who have their legs and arms restrained behind the back.
This investigation was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for The Marshall Project’s newsletter or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
