Forget shocking emotionally disturbed people with tasers to subdue them, when New York City Police Officers can lasso them more safely and humanly with the latest non-lethal police gadget.
It’s called the BolaWrap, a hand-held remote restraint device, manufactured by Las Vegas-based Wrap Technologies, Inc., which discharges an eight-foot, bola-style Kevlar® tether to entangle a suspect at a range of 10-25 feet with minimal to no pain.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, a retired NYPD captain, personally demonstrated the BolaWrap, at Borough Hall yesterday and gave it a thumbs up, urging the NYPD to try it out in a pilot program.
“As an NYPD veteran who responded to a number of emotionally disturbed person (EDP) incidents during my law enforcement career, I can’t overstate enough the imperative of safety for at-risk suspects and police officers alike in crisis intervention,” said Adams.
“Addressing the challenge of EDPs is a matter of improved officer training, of increased therapeutic mental health care, and of enhanced technological approaches that are safe, accurate, and humane. The primary duty of all members of the law enforcement community is to preserve and protect human life. We can’t hesitate to closely study and test improved policing tools that can do just that,” he added.
According to NYPD numbers released last year, the department responds to nearly 150,000 emergency calls every year for service involving a person in mental crisis. The NYPD cited a one percent rate for use of any level of force in these calls.
“It was a great honor to appear before leaders of the NYPD and also perform a demonstration with Borough President Adams,” said David Norris, president of Wrap Technologies, Inc. “We respect Borough President Adams’ leadership, professionalism, and input as a retired captain of the NYPD as we seek to help address crisis intervention incidents with BolaWrap 100. We look forward to working with one of the finest and most recognized police departments in the world.”
