Marquette County Sheriff’s deputies introduced to BolaWrap
The new tool would help apprehend suspects in a less-than-lethal manner during crisis situations
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - “WRAP! WRAP! WRAP!” The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office now has a new way to help apprehend suspects more safely and effectively.
BolaWrap is a force reduction tool meant to help officers during crisis situations. Last week, Marquette County Sheriff’s deputies trained with the BolaWrap 150 device so they know how to use it.
Dan Savage, a senior master instructor from Arizona-based WRAP Technologies, says this will be a huge help when apprehending those in a mental health crisis.
“This is a much more humane tool that is not a pain-compliance tool,” said Savage. “It’s just to temporarily restrain them so that (officers) can get them to the help that they need.”
This is the first department in the U.P. to train with, and potentially use, the device. Sheriff Greg Zyburt says the BolaWrap avoid lawsuits and hospital time.
“That’s the key with any encounter,” Zyburt said. “We don’t want the officers hurt, and we don’t want the suspects hurt. This is a less-than-lethal tool.”
The BolaWrap goes around a person’s legs like a lasso, making it easier for officers to apprehend them. For training, the deputies learned about the device’s components in the classroom before doing some live deployments.
“We had the instructors wrap each other,” Savage said. “We have them teach back different components so that I can leave here knowing that they’re going to deliver the best and most accurate information on the device.”
As an advocate for new technology, Zyburt says other U.P. departments thinking about using the BolaWrap should give it a shot.
“Any tool that we can get in our tool chest to help do our job safely and effectively, you should try it,” said Zyburt.
The trained supervisors will instruct future deputies on how to use the Kevlar cord device. Once the training is complete, they will be able to use the device while on duty as soon as possible.
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