Batman-style device restrains criminals by shooting a tether around their body so officers do not have to use deadly force
- BolaWrap is a gun-like device and tether combination that restrains suspects
- The tool shoots out a tether that wraps around the person’s arms and legs
- Barbs stick to their clothing in order to restrain them, but are easily removed
- Meant to help officers restrain unarmed people and those with mental illness
It may look like a device used in Gotham City, but this handheld tool is employed by several hundred police officers in Los Angeles, California.
Called the BolaWrap 100, the gun-like device shoots out Kevlar cord that wraps around the individual’s arms and legs, rendering them immobile.
It was designed to de-esculate situations without officers having to use force, as police across the US have come under fire for how situations involving a person who is unarmed or suffers from mental health issues are handled.
‘BolaWrap is the only remote response to resistance tool that ensures a safe space between subject and officer, does not rely on pain compliance, and is specifically designed to be deployed early in an engagement,’ reads Wrap Technologies’, maker of the BolaWrap, website.
‘Inflicting pain often escalates encounters, BolaWrap’s non-threatening form allows time to de-escalate and provide needed support.’
BolaWrap 100 shoots out Kevlar cord that wraps around the individual’s arms and leg, rendering them immobile. It was designed to de-esculate situations without officers having to use force
When shot, the device is said to sound like a gun and deploys a tether to entangle a person that is 10 and 25 feet away.
On the end of the cord are two small barbs that attach to the individuals clothing in order for it to wrap around their arms and legs.
Bell Police Chief Carlos Islas, a former LAPD captain, said his department is training officers and plans to deploy three devices on the street in January, as reported on by the Los Angeles Times.
Islas volunteered to test the device on himself before allowing active officers to begin their training and said the barbs ‘stung some, but the device was barely felt’.
When shot, the device is said to sound like a gun and deploys a tether to entangle a person that is 10 and 25 feet away
It discharges at a speed of 640 feet per second and the cord wraps around the body one to three times. And each device costs about $1,250 – with extra cartridges
The tether comes in a small cartridge-like vessel that pops into the gun.
It discharges at a speed of 640 feet per second and the cord wraps around the body one to three times.
And each device costs about $1,250 – with extra cartridges.
The main reason for this device is to help law enforcement regain good standing with the community, as over the past few years, many have been in the spotlight for using unnecessary force.
The tether comes in a small cartridge-like vessel that pops into the gun
On the end of the cord are two small barbs that attach to the individuals clothing in order for it to wrap around their arms and legs
The main reason for this device is to help law enforcement regain good standing with the community, as over the past few years, many have been in the spotlight for using unnecessary force
Last month, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office in Northern California spent $25,000 on 20 BolaWraps and extra cartridges to equip 20 patrol deputies with the devices.
The team was looking for another to restrain individuals without injuring them, said spokeswoman Ashley Keehn.
The department could equip all deputies with BolaWraps if they prove useful, she added.
‘We’re always looking for new tools to help de-escalate situations,’ she said.
‘Mental health is something that law enforcement has to deal with. If it can save lives, it’s better.’