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I think, standard practice is no personal arms at all when in areas with prisoners. The idea is that arms can be taken away and used against the guards.
The armory probably has everything from night sticks and pepper spray to pumb action shotguns and M-16's or whatever is the latest military issue. It would interesting to know what's in the towers.
When I was arrested on a DUI, the first thing the ranger did after we were admitted inside the first door was open a lock box and put his 9mm Beretta into it and lock it up. Then we were admitted into the next door. Nobody was armed inside the locked areas.
I was very analytical for a drunk. The cops are very analytical too about how they handle you, where you go, how you get there. It's all highly routinized, geared for maximum control at every point of the ballet. Every door and room has a specific function and relationship to prisoners and guards. It was a fascinating experience. Especially in the funky little jail that was probably built in the 30s. You could study the architectural changes. Little welds and additions here and there as routines were `modernized.' Prison is a culture all its own. I would highly recommended it to anyone interested, especially sociologists, anthropologest and political theorists.
Since all that was in Yosemite, it was a federal system and they followed whatever are the federal guidelines. For transport and waiting everyone was handcuffed and shackled waist to wait. We sat on an absurdly low bench that was very difficult to stand up from, outside the court room where we were unshackled, but our cuffs were left on. When your turn came to go inside, you struggled up, turned around to face the wall and you were cerimoniously uncuffed, held by the crook of your elbow and escourted to your seat before the magistrate. If you let go, you left by another door, i.e. `freedom.'