Documentation
a) Concepts
After the arrest scene is contained, make your essential notes while being safeguarded by the cover officer (if available)—do not bury your head in your notebook when you should be heads up.
As with the application of every use of force, you must be justified in doing so, even when using handcuffs.
Remember that handcuffing an arrestee is done for reasons of safety, prevention of flight, or to preserve evidence, not because of policy or protocol.
Under these conditions, handcuffing is neither negotiable nor avoidable when you are making a lawful and skillful arrest-do document your reasons for applying handcuffs.
Check his body carefully and note the most prominent (and visible) “scars, marks, or tattoos”, including shapes, sizes, and specific locations of such identifiers (pics are helpful).
PRO TIP: Criminals often impersonate others, so if you do not check these details yourself, you perpetuate this misrepresentation (take a picture for future reference; do not rely on CPIC/NCIC notations of such identifiers – check them yourself).
Upgrade what is on the system through your personal observations (recent tattoos, scars, etc.).
Also, write down that the cuffs were double locked should the arrestee try to make claims of subsequent nerve damage to his wrists.