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Fairfax County police piloting restraint device to safely resolve situations

The device is intended to initially restrain a person and take them into custody safely before the incident escalates.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The Fairfax County Police Department is testing a new hand-held tool that can be used to restrain uncooperative suspects or people experiencing a mental health crisis from a distance.

The device being piloted is called BolaWrap and it is a hand-held remote restraint device that releases an eight-foot-wide bola style Kevlar tether to entangle a person at ideal range of 10-25 feet.

The device is intended to be used for people showing passive or active resistance. Officers with the police department can use the BolaWrap to initially restrain a person and take them into custody safely before the incident escalates.

The police department currently has 30 BolaWraps assigned throughout the stations and the Crisis Intervention Team. Training is also performed for all officers assigned to the device. 

“FCPD continues to seek the latest advancements in our profession to prepare our officers for situations they encounter. Every day officers utilize verbal skills and de-escalation tactics to resolve situations peacefully," said Major Brooke Wright, Director of Criminal Justice Academy. "We look forward to continuing this pilot and identifying other ways to aid our officers, keeping them and the community safe.”

The pilot program continues until April 2023.

   

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