US police use high-tech lasso on the rise

The point is to make the opponent unable to move.

In an effort to reduce the number of deaths from the use of force, police across the country are investing in high-tech lassoes that can detain suspects without tasing them or injuring them with gunshots.

As recently featured on Motherboard, the remote restraint device BolaWrap looks a lot like a taser and works much like a gadget in a James Bond movie. The force of the gunpowder will force a 2.5-meter "Kevlar tether" into the air and restrain the suspect.

Also known as "remote handcuffs" because they are said to work from a distance of about 3 to 8 meters, they are apparently intended for use on "disobedient" suspects. A user manual for the West Plains, Missouri Police Department details how the device is ostensibly to be used.

Tools to solve problems without killing anyone

BolaWrap, developed by safety tech maker Wrap Technologies, is a "descalation". and as a means by which officers can detain people who appear to be exhibiting problems such as mental health problems, cognitive impairment, or suicidal thoughts. Wrap's CEO Tom Smith recently said the company's mission is to "use technology to safely end conflicts" so that "police officers get home safely" and "suspects get home safely". ” said that.

How likely is it that this product will be used as intended? And is firing a gunpowder restraint the best way to deal with someone in a mental health crisis?

Seattle Police Department Begins Tests

In Seattle, the police department has just greenlit a pilot plan to "field test" the device, a member of the Seattle City Council and the council's public safety and welfare services. Commission Chair Lisa Herbold describes the product as a life-saving tool. She said she was "very encouraged by BolaWrap's potential to help alleviate the situation and reduce the dire consequences."

📌#BolaWrap® Used on Fleeing Subject Outside SeattleRead press release: https://t.co/8GGcuT2Zempic.twitter.com/WKuSPWznkq

As this pilot plan begins operation, Wrap has released a video of using BolaWrap in an incident that occurred in Mount Lake Terrace, Washington, near Seattle.

The video shows officers restraining the suspect, who is said to be in a "mental crisis," using BolaWrap, which the company says "protects him from harm." increase. From start to finish, the tether is shot at the man's ankle, and as soon as he collapses head-on into the concrete, the police hold him back... "unharmed" was a relative term. I guess.

Motherboard noted that a black transgender woman was shot with a BolaWrap by a local police officer in Buffalo, New York, who "appeared to be having a mental crisis." At the time, local activists said the police were unsympathetic to the women "wrapped around" and there was no one "to reassure or comfort the women, even though there were mental health professionals." I am complaining. Police, however, insist the tool only did its job.

Police love it...

It is especially disturbing to imagine how BolaWrap might be used in cases involving protests and so-called civil disobedience. The company's site lists "riot suppression" as one use case, so police could treat demonstrators like Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes" if they felt it necessary. It is implied.

Police departments are happy to buy BolaWrap, whether it's an effective tool to save lives or another way for officers to intimidate people. Wrap claims that "230 law enforcement agencies across the United States representing 46 states" now "carry BolaWrap." Late last year, the company announced a slew of new orders from law enforcement agencies across the country, including Ohio, Indiana, Texas and Michigan. And the Los Angeles Police Department just recently announced it would extend BolaWrap's pilot program for another year in search of "additional mitigation tools to help keep officers and communities safe."

What a disturbing flow.

Source: Motherboard, Wrap(1, 2,), West Plains Police Department, YouTube(1, 2,), GlobeNewswire(1, 2, 3,), Twitter, MailChimp, Audacy,