CLEVELAND — It's advertised as a route to safer policing. Now, the BolaWrap is hitting the streets in University Circle.
The device is designed with Kevlar cords and devices that look like small fishing hooks on either end. It wraps around a suspect with the goal of immobilizing them.
Police hope it will be another important piece of their arsenal — one that's non-lethal.
"Basically, if you deploy the device, they can't run," University Circle Police Department Sergeant Tim Caine said. "If you wrap it around the wrists or torso, officers can move in and they don't really have to use any more force than necessary. That's the best part of it."
That immobilizing impact is meant to help in a variety of circumstances.
"Individuals that are not compliant, violent, or need medical health, you can use it in behavioral health situations," Caine explained.
Training for officers is happening over the next couple of weeks, then they will be using the BolaWrap on the streets.
"[It has a] very low impact on the subject involved and it's two-fold: It's safer for officers to move in themselves," Caine said. "That way, they don't get hurt themselves."