T H E

H A N D C U F F

  S O N G

           --Claude Anderson, LASD (Ret) --

       LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

           FIRESTONE STATION (#1), CIRCA 1961

In 1961 while assigned to Patrol Division at Firestone station, I wrote a little song. I love music and love to play the piano. My partners and I had a lot of fun with the song through the years.

Imagine it's a quiet graveyard shift and the watch sergeant is almost ready to nod off. Suddenly the back door of the station flies open and the "Yahoo"(1) deputies come through singing and dragging a bewildered drunk driver in for booking. At the end of the song, both deputies do a little tap dance shuffle. Most sergeants (completely lacking in musical talent) just yelled for us to book'em and get out. But the rest of the station was awake!

We performed this once in the field while making an arrest with half the neighborhood looking on. But my partner, David Galceran, broke out with the song. Everybody thought it was unusual as they had never witnessed "singing deputies". lots of smiles and giggles. One woman called it police brutality! (Another critic).

Sung to the tune of "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover".  Here are the lyrics for your sing-along.......

(1) Yahoo ... ln Travels to Several Remote Nations of the World, writer Jonathan Swift describes Yahoos as the most unpleasant creatures on earth with a natural disposition for dirt. They live on the island of Houyhnhnms in the south Atlantic. Their leader is always the ugliest and most deformed.

"I've got some handcuffs,

Some brand new handcuffs,

I haven't used before.

They're all chrome plated,

With a double lock too ...

Oh how I wish ...

To click them on you.

No need explaining,

reason for detaining,

just why I'm arresting you ...

I've got some handcuffs,

Some brand new handcuffs ...

That I haven't used before".

  Click Handcuffs to Return