Buffalo Police Department Deploy BolaWrap® to Detain Woman During Mental Health Call
In September of 2020, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and the Buffalo Police Department held a press conference to discuss and demonstrate BolaWrap for the public.
In October of 2020, Mayor Brown and Common Council President Darius Pridgen announced the launch of a BolaWrap pilot program as part of an innovative public safety initiative.
In January of 2021, CBS-affiliate WIVB reported that the pandemic had pushed back training sessions for the equipment, but that police officials had announced training for the BolaWrap would start in the next couple of weeks.
On Friday, less than one month after BolaWrap training began, Buffalo Police Department successfully deployed the BolaWrap on a woman in mental crisis, enabling them to take her into custody and transport to a mental health facility without injury, as reported by WIVB and NBC-affiliate WGRZ.
According to WGRZ,
‘At around 2 p.m. Friday near Kenfield-Langfield, police received a call with concern about a woman who may have the potential to cause harm to herself or others and was underdressed in the snow. Police were concerned about hypothermia exposure for the woman.
Police say they spoke with the woman for an extended period of time, asking her to get in a police car and receive medical evaluation. The woman refused, which police say prompted them to deploy the Bolawrap.
The device allowed police to transport her to Erie County Medical Center for evaluation without anyone getting hurt, according to police.’
“Public safety includes solutions that can de-escalate encounters, and that’s exactly what the BolaWrap does,” said Tom Smith, President of WRAP. “BolaWrap doesn’t rely on pain compliance and is designed to de-escalate situations and provide needed support for persons in crisis. We are pleased to continue seeing successful field deployments of the BolaWrap, especially by the police department of New York’s second-largest city.”
In October of 2020, Smith participated in City & State’s 2020 Protecting New York Summit alongside NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, NYC Council-member Donovan Richard, and industry executives for a solutions-oriented discussion on reimagining public safety in New York. WRAP sees the Buffalo pilot program as an important element of public safety in New York.
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WRAP Contact:
Paul M. Manley
VP – Investor Relations
(612) 834-1804
pmanley@wrap.com
About WRAP
WRAP Technologies is an innovator of modern policing solutions. The Company’s BolaWrap 100 product is a patented, hand-held remote restraint device that discharges an eight-foot bola style Kevlar® tether to restrain an individual at a distance from 10 to 25 feet. Developed by award winning inventor Elwood Norris, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer, the small but powerful BolaWrap 100 assists law enforcement in safely and effectively deescalating encounters, especially those involving an individual in crisis. BolaWrap 100 has already been used to safely apprehend suspects without injury in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, Bell, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, West Palm Beach, Fort Worth, and Oak Ridge. For information on the Company, please visit www.wrap.com.
Trademark Information
BolaWrap is a trademark of Wrap Technologies, Inc. All other trade names used herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective holders.
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