Monterey Times

City of Seaside issued the following announcement on Dec 18.

Why BolaWraps?

During the December 3, 2020 City Council Meeting, a robust discussion was had and the Council ultimately approved the purchase of the BolaWrap restraint system.  We feel it is important for you to understand why.

Video Resource

Here is a video illustrating Bola Wrap's use and the related staff report that explains how and why this is a positive alternative tool for policing.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZu1cKquCQ

From December 3, 2020 City Council Staff Report: (Full report can be found here)

The Seaside Police Department is committed to respecting and caring for the community it serves. Therefore, it is imperative the department provides training and tools necessary to give officers the means for de-escalation of force.  The BolaWrap is a de-escalation tool, which can be considered a “remote set of handcuffs.”   The device discharges an 8-foot long tether which wraps between 1 to 3 times around a subjects arms or legs, restricting their mobility from a distance of 10 to 25 feet.  

The BolaWrap does not rely on pain compliance (kinetic energy decays rapidly with distance after discharge), and it maintains a safe distance between the subject and the officer.   Often, inflicting pain during encounters with people in crisis will escalate a situation.  The BolaWrap does not involve pain compliance, and it enables officers to provide needed support by safely restricting a subject’s mobility, from a safe distance, without needing to resort to higher levels of force.  

In the use of force hierarchy, as it relates to potential risk of injury, the BolaWrap can be considered one step above de-escalation communication, and less risky than even applying handcuffs.  

An increasing number of police contacts involve subjects experiencing a mental health crisis, a drug-induced psychosis, or another state of crisis preventing them from responding or complying with officer commands.   Weapons are often involved.  If traditional forms of de-escalation are not successful, officers are often forced to use pain compliance or more serious options against those posing a serious threat to themselves or others.   The BolaWrap allows officers to restrain and detain a subject from a safe distance, which often immediately diffuses a critical situation.  Multiple applications of the BolaWrap does not increase the chance of pain or injury, but is likely to increase the effectiveness of the restraint.

Many risks are involved with manual restraints, including abrasions, concussions, fractures, internal injuries, psychological trauma, positional asphyxia, unconsciousness, and death.  The risks are greater when underlying medical or health conditions exist.  Also, the longer it takes for officers to physically control a subject, the greater the risk of harm.  Deployment of the BolaWrap will likely reduce a subject’s ability to struggle significantly.  The BolaWrap does not prevent movement to the extent of some other forms of restraint, and thus it is unlikely to result in positional asphyxia; officers are able to maneuver the subject’s hands to apply handcuffs, and are able to safely position the subject in a manner which does not restrict breathing.  Once restrained, the BolaWrap can eliminate the need to take the subject to the ground where restraint injuries/deaths can occur.

As of April 2020, more than 150 police agencies, nationally, are carrying the BolaWrap, including the Los Angeles Police Department, The Sacramento Police Department, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department.  

In light of COVID-19, the BolaWrap can prevent officers from having to commit to an immediate and volatile hands-on response, thus limiting their exposure.  Restraining a person requires a significant amount of close contact, and government safe-distancing guidelines are incompatible with most applications of police restraint.  Effective BolaWrap deployment provides officers with sufficient time to manage safer contact with the restrained subject.  

The BolaWrap appears less aggressive than Taser devices and other force options. The device is simple to operate, and a 30-minute manufacturer training orientation is sufficient.

Original source can be found here.