By Victor Masters
Over the past several years, the law enforcement profession has come under heavy public scrutiny. With that scrutiny comes calls for training, tools and resources to better prevent escalation and control situations with the goal of reducing use-of-force incidents and the likelihood of injury to individuals and officers alike.
One of the often-overlooked aspects of the de-escalation conversation is regarding tools that can assist officers in quickly gaining control of an individual. Wrap Technologies’ BolaWrap is one such tool capable of quickly restraining and gaining compliance of non-compliant individuals with minimal risk of injury to the individuals or officers. This is an especially vital tool when responding to persons experiencing a mental health crisis.
In cases involving those in a mental health crisis or those under the influence of a substance, it may be necessary to detain an individual who hasn’t committed a crime but poses a threat to themselves or others. Examples include someone running in and out of traffic, an individual standing on a sidewalk threatening to harm themselves, or a subject acting erratically and creating a disturbance with their behavior.
Responses to these individuals can prove highly volatile, with a heightened need to safely and quickly obtain their compliance. Here are five times the BolaWrap accomplished that goal.
1. Columbia Police Department (MI) deploys BolaWrap to safely detain individual
Officers responded to the report of a trespassed individual at a business. Additional calls came in reporting a male fitting the same description attempting to enter homes in the area. Officers located the subject and tried to speak with him. The handling officer determined that the individual was in a mental health crisis and would need to be transported to the hospital for evaluation. The individual, who was non-responsive to the officer’s questions, began walking away from the officer and then became visibly agitated swinging his arms around.
In most situations, officers would have had to resort to going hands-on, using other less-lethal options to gain compliance. All of these options pose a risk both to the individual and the officer. In this instance, the officer was able to successfully deploy BolaWrap and detain the individual without issue and with minimal risk of injury. This is the ideal outcome for all involved.
2. Virginia Police Department (MN) detains individual who flees mental health hold
As aforementioned, some use-of-force situations do not result from suspected criminal activity. This is often the case with those in mental crisis. Officers are faced with the task of detaining someone who hasn’t committed a crime but is required to be detained for their safety or others’ safety.
In this incident, the Virginia Police Department was confronted with an individual who escaped from a hospital after being placed on a mental-health hold. The officer is now taking on the responsibility (and liability) of detaining a potentially volatile individual in non-criminal detention. The officer was unable to gain compliance via verbal commands and deployed BolaWrap to restrain the individual so that officers could safely move in and handcuff him. The individual was safely detained and transported back to the hospital for treatment.
3. LaGrange Police Department (GA.) successfully detains domestic violence suspect
While a great tool for restraining and gaining compliance of those in mental crisis, BolaWrap is also extremely effective and doing the same for those suspected of committing a crime.
The LaGrange Police Department responded to the report of a domestic violence incident. After establishing probable cause for the arrest of the individual, he was located standing in the street. The individual refused to comply with officers’ verbal commands and told an officer, “You have to kill me.” For most, this is usually an indication that the encounter will likely end with some level of force to gain compliance.
Rather than use alternative less-lethal options, and resort to strikes, batons, or OC, the officer was able to deploy BolaWrap. While the “wrap” wasn’t perfect, it was enough for officers to quickly move in and detain the individual without incident. This was a great example of BolaWrap’s effectiveness even without 100% restraint of both limbs. Without BolaWrap and its rapid deployment, this situation could have turned deadly had the individual (who had alluded to wanting to commit suicide by cop) attempted to force such an outcome by reaching into his waistband or rushing the officer.
4. Individual in mental crisis detained by New Kent (VA) County Sheriff’s deputies with BolaWrap
This situation has played out across the country frequently over the years, sometimes with a tragic ending. Family members desperate for help call 9-1-1 for assistance with gaining control of a loved one in a mental health crisis. Officers without the tools or training respond and the situation ends with a lethal force encounter. The headline often reads: “Officers shoot and kill unarmed man after family calls 9-1-1 for help.” That is never the intention, but tragically that can be the outcome without the right training or tools.
The New Kent County Sheriff’s Office handled such a situation with professionalism and ease with assistance from BolaWrap. A family desperate for help called 9-1-1 after spending several hours trying to help a family member who was in a mental crisis. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office deputies remained calm, worked to verbally prevent escalation, explained their plan of action to the individual’s girlfriend and implemented their plan with precision.
The combination of their training, professionalism, compassion and the BolaWrap led to the desired outcome of no harm done.
5. Wyoming Police Department (MN) use BolaWrap to restrain man in mental crisis
The Wyoming Police Department was faced with a situation in which a family member called 9-1-1 seeking assistance in getting their family member into mental health treatment.
The responding officers located the individual, and determined that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and that he needed to be transported to the hospital for mental health evaluation and treatment. The individual became increasingly agitated and aggressive before ultimately walking away from the officers and back toward his residence. The officers on scene knew that allowing the subject to go back into the home would give him access to potential weapons and or create a barricade. An officer who was prepared immediately deployed BolaWrap, which restrained the individual’s legs. Surprised by the BolaWrap deployment, the individual was distracted and shocked long enough for officers to quickly move in and detain him.
Without BolaWrap, the officers would have had to make the decision to rush the individual and go hands-on with him, which could likely have resulted in injury to the individual and or officers. BolaWrap allowed for the safe detainment and transportation of the subject to the hospital.
BolaWrap safely restrains non-compliant individuals without injury or higher levels of force
If you were to ask your community if they would like your department to have a tool that allows your officers to restrain an individual from a safe distance without injury and without resorting to the use of strikes, blows, or less-lethal tools that can cause injury, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who says “no”.
BolaWrap provides a tool that keeps individuals safe, keeps your officers safe, and lets your community know that your officers are equipped with the right tool to meet their expectations.