The Los Angeles Police Department will soon be equipped with a device that wouldn’t be out of place in the hands of Gotham’s own Dark Knight, Batman. The BolaWrap 100 is a device about the size of a large smartphone that fires a Kevlar cord that can ensnare around a person, restricting their mobility.
It is intended to be used to give officers ample opportunity to apprehend an individual without resorting to drawing a Taser or gun. Created by Wrap Technologies, the BolaWrap 100 is capable of hitting a target between 10 to 25 feet away. Small barbs attached to the end of the cord can cling to the target before wrapping itself around their arms or legs. The tool would be utilized against people wielding knives or other objects, but would not be implemented if a suspect were holding a firearm.
“This is a restraint device," Wrap Technologies' Chief Operating Officer Mike Rothans said. "This is meant to put time and distance between the officer.” Rothans, a retired assistant sheriff with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, also explained how the barbs create a “very small puncture” that could cause more pain if a suspect attempts to pull it away.
According to the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, which is the civilian panel that oversees the department, 200 devices will be provided to LAPD officers for a 90-day free trial beginning in January 2020. “We are very excited to be piloting the BolaWrap,” Deputy Chief Martin Baeza said, noting that they are interested in discovering if “it meets the needs and standards that the LAPD is looking for.” Dozens of other departments across the United States have been testing and purchasing the devices this year. The Fresno Police Department began training its officers with the BolaWrap 100 in January, whereas officers in Hendersonville, N.C., began utilizing it last week.
Bell Police Chief Carlos Islad, a former LAPD captain, explained how his department is currently training its officers with the device. He predicts it will be mostly used on those suffering a mental crisis or are acting under the influence while refusing to listen to officers. He stressed how the BolaWrap 100 is simply one of several tools an officer has access to, but may not be the right one to choose depending on the situation. “If you deploy a wrap tool, it buys time for officers to deploy a secondary option,” Islas said. “It will inevitably restrain someone. It’s a tool that’s been a long time coming.”
The first active use of the device took place this past April in Texas. SWAT Officer Donald McCreery used the tool against an armed suspect who barricaded himself inside a home. After his team fired tear gas into the property, McCreery was able to hit the suspect with the BolaWrap 100, giving them the chance they needed to take down and apprehend the suspect.
(via LATimes)