Colo Cops Now Use the BolaWrap, a weapon that shoots a Kevlar cord w/metal fishhooks that wraps around the target. For Use on Persons 'who could be armed' [anyone Black] or who Disobey Authority
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Electronic control devices (ECDs), including Tasers, were also designed to be “less lethal force” weapons for police to use on people they perceive as dangerous, instead of firearms. Though they are marketed as life savers, a 2011 Department of Justice report warned that officers may be using ECDs in situations in which they should be relying on nonviolent conflict resolution skills. They have even resulted in deaths. In 2017, Reuters found more than 150 autopsy reports citing ECDs that were fired by police as a contributing factor to deaths.
Human Rights Watch says “This new weapon raises serious concerns. In the context of over-policing in the United States, there is great danger that police will use it more frequently than necessary, especially on people with mental health conditions, and, given historic police discrimination, black and brown people.“ [MORE]
From [HERE] The lassoing device, called a BolaWrap, is a new tool being used by a growing number of Colorado law enforcement agencies to detain non-compliant people without firing a Taser or hitting them. Fifteen departments in the state either use or are training to use the device, which has skyrocketed in popularity in the wake of the 2020 protests against police brutality.
“Now we have a tool to use to de-escalate things very rapidly,” Glenwood Springs police Chief Joseph Deras said.
The BolaWrap shoots a 7-foot-6-inch tether at a person with a bang, just like a gun. That’s because it uses gunpowder, earning it a designation as a firearm by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Kevlar tether then wraps around the target’s legs or arms and small metal fishhooks at the ends of the tether are designed to grab clothing to keep it in place.
The tether shoots out of the handheld device at a speed of 350 mph and can travel up to 25 feet, according to the company.
The goal is to give police a tool to restrain people while keeping their distance and without resorting to devices that inflict pain, like Tasers, said Tom Smith, CEO of Wrap Technologies, the company that sells the device, and a founder of the Taser company.
The company specifically markets the BolaWrap as a tool to be used in confrontations with unarmed people under the influence or who are experiencing mental health crises.
“Non-compliant subjects in mental crisis and drug-impaired subjects are often incapable of comprehending commands of officers,” the company states on its website. “BolaWrap enables officers to safely and humanely take subjects into custody without injury to get them the help they need.”
The BolaWrap is an improvement over Tasers but will likely further agitate people in crisis, said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. The bang of the device and the realization of suddenly being confined will not calm someone down, he said.
“It’s way better than shooting or tasing or clubbing people,” Atchity said. “If we could get the cops to give up all their guns and clubs and use only magical spider-web devices, that would be a good step in a better direction. But I think it would be better for police to learn how to better communicate and manage people instead of relying on devices to protect and serve.”
Wrap Technologies started selling the BolaWrap in June 2019 but sales of the device have increased dramatically since widespread protests of police brutality in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Smith said. Wrap Technologies’ stock price tripled between the last week of May 2020 and mid-July 2020 as protests roiled thousands of communities across the country.
The BolaWrap can be dangerous however. The hooks on the end of the tethers can embed in peoples’ skin, leaving cuts. Police are also advised not to use the device in areas where a person could be seriously injured if they fall. If aimed poorly, it can wrap around a person’s neck. Smith said the company trains users to not shoot above the elbows, but is aware of two incidents where the tether wrapped around a person’s neck.
More than 500 agencies use the BolaWrap, Smith said, including the Los Angeles and Seattle police departments.
The following 15 Colorado law enforcement agencies are using or testing out the BolaWrap:
Otero County Sheriff's Office
Nederland PD
Glenwood Springs PD
Louisville PD
Frisco PD
Antonito PD
Bayfield Marshal's Office
Greeley PD
Gunnison PD
Greenwood Village PD
Rio Grande County Sheriff's Office
Rifle PD
Avon PD
Manassa PD
La Junta PD
The Greeley Police Department — the largest Colorado agency using the devices — purchased six BolaWraps in the spring, Deputy Chief Adam Turk said. Each device costs between $1,000 and $1,300. Patrol sergeants will carry the device in their cars, but the department has not yet used them in the field because not all the sergeants have been trained yet, Turk said.
The increased interest in the new tools misses a larger goal of people pushing for broad police reform in the U.S., however, Atchity said.
“Why are the police responding to someone who is in distress?” Atchity said. “Why don’t we have someone who knows human health respond?”
