If a 200 lb male brute does not want to be handcuffed the female officer is in danger. He can easily grab her and take her weapon. I assume this is ignored during training.
In training the physical limitation of female officers are often over looked.
Male officers are often told to take it easy on the female officers.
BITD, my friend who was all of 5 foot 6 and 150 lbs, was being arrested for drunkeness in public. The officer was a male about the same build but a little taller. He refused, and punched him, knocking him out and they never even caught him or charged him for it.
I remember when you had to be 6’ to be a cop, and 6’4” to be a State Trooper in WA. You simply do not need to be an aggressive officer to subdue most people, when you have the edge on them physically.
I seem to remember that the Rodney King situation came about because a female officer was the first to contact him, and he threw her off like a ragdoll. The men did what men do, they became enraged, and gave him the beating he had been asking for, frankly for years.
Waaay too many TV and movie scenes where they show petite woman kicking the crap out of males. If a female police officer is shown arresting a male, they show the perp with minimal struggle, and then he willingly holds his hands behind his back to be cuffed. It’s madness. But people easily believe what they see on TV.
As a kid a really wanted to be a police officer and took courses in HS at the local community college. But then it dawned on me I wasn’t going to be physically big enough and I let that dream go... and joined the military.
Good luck to this 5’4” female. I hope she is safe, and I hope she doesn’t put her partner in jeopardy either.