BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Law enforcement of Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia attended a demonstration Thursday of the Bolawrap, a remote restraint technology used to take individuals into custody.
The objective is to keep subjects and officers safer.
Several law enforcement officers volunteered to see how the instrument works, stepping forward to put the pain compliance tool to the test.
Capt. Brian Hess with the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department said it can be a great non-lethal tool.
“Anytime that we can have another option, especially less lethal that people won’t get hurt with, that’s good, I think it’s a good technology,” Hess said. “It’s trial and error when you find these things but in my opinion, it was a good demonstration.”
Rodney Sagrodd, a senior trainer with the company that developed Bolawrap, said the device can give police departments a tool they can use to diffuse various situations.
“With the new technology, this is a great tool for law enforcement, especially in today’s day and age we’re in now, this is the safe and humane way to handle a situation,” Sagrodd said.
As mentioned in the demonstration, it can give officers just the moments they need to gain control of a person from a safe distance, especially for someone in a mental health crisis.
Bolawrap is currently used in over 60 countries and by 1,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, according to the company.
