Seattle police have come under fire after approving the trial of a high-tech lasso that claims to allow officers to safely detain non-compliant suspects.
According to KOMO News, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) recently approved pilot field testing of the BolaWrap “remote handcuffs”, which can be launched at people from a distance.
The device is an eight-feet-long cord that is attached with two barbed hooks and is deployed like a lasso, wrapping around a person to bind their arms and legs to their body.
The company that owns the product says the wrap can be used on “non-compliant subjects in mental crisis and drug-impaired subjects” who “are often incapable of comprehending commands of officers”.
“BolaWrap enables officers to safely and humanely take subjects into custody without injury to get them the help they need,” Wrap Technologies’ website says.
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However, social media users were quick to scrutinise the implementation of the new measure by police departments following Seattle’s approval of a pilot of the product.
“This device is extremely frightening. It should be illegal,” one person said, while another called the measure “inhumane”.
Some users worried that the BolaWrap would be deployed incorrectly around someone’s neck and could injure or be fatal to someone when used. Others feared people would be seriously injured if they fell while restrained.
“This will result in eyes being hit and people falling forward and cracking their skulls,” one user speculated, while another asked: “What happens if it gets shot too high and around someone’s neck?”
A Wrap Technologies spokesperson told The Independent: “BolaWrap is the only law enforcement tool specifically designed for early intervention to prevent escalation of force.”
They added: “Its design mimics a remote control rather than lethal weapons to limit perceived aggression and provide a completely different feel of the device and muscle-memory training during high pressured situations, which helps reduce the potential for a mistake.”
On its website, Wrap Technologies added: “Regarding the potential for a neck wrap, BolaWrap has a green line laser for precise accuracy, and officers are trained not to deploy the BolaWrap above the elbow area of the subject.”
Many users questioned why police departments would spend money investing in weapons technology to detain people undergoing a psychological crisis rather than investing in mental health support.
“Spend millions on dehumanising weapons technology instead of hundreds of thousands on mental health experts and care workers,” one person said.
Another added: “We’d literally rather equip police departments with ‘Batman-tech’ than hire more mental health professionals.”
“All great having non-lethal weapons to subdue, but here’s a wild out of this world idea, funded and accessible mental health services and help before it resorts in a crisis,” a user commented.
Wrap Technologies claims that “de-escalation tactics and mental health training isn’t always enough when dealing with subjects in mental crisis who pose serious threats to themselves or others”.
A spokesperson for the company said that the device is currently being used by more than 500 law enforcement agencies across the US and 40 countries worldwide as a “pre-escalation tactic”.
“We look forward to continuing to work with police departments, elected officials, and community leaders to implement the use of BolaWrap, which will help keep officers and citizens out of harm’s way,” the spokesperson said.
The Independent has contacted the SPD for comment.
