By Joanna Putman
Police1
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The Fairfax County Police Department has announced it will equip officers with BolaWrap after a successful pilot program, a news release from the department states.
The devices have been in partial use by the department since November of 2022, according to the report. BolaWrap devices function as a net gun, allowing officers to restrain or hinder suspects without being near them.
The department issued BolaWrap devices to officers on the Crisis Intervention Team as a part of the pilot program. The officers found the devices useful in responding to individuals suffering from a mental health crisis, according to the release.
“Upon the completion of thorough training and guidance of the technology’s usage, officers equipped with this innovative tool began their patrols,” the release states. “With a number of positive outcomes achieved, the department determined the deployment of BolaWrap to all patrol officers would be an invaluable asset to our police toolkit.”
The department also stated the launch of BolaWrap for all officers would “transform [its] incident resolution capacity, especially in crisis situations.”