The Good Guys Get New Gadgets
BolaWrap is a hand-held, cartridge-fed device that deploys a 7.5-foot Kevlar cord that jangles perps legs or arms so they can be pushed over with a light breeze, tumbling to their ultimate surrender, with little to no amped-up physical activity from the officers or suspects.
So, how does it work? The device, which looks like a Dewalt laser leveler from Lowe’s, actually has an integrated laser sight to target suspects accurately. After the officer is locked on, they press the button, and an explosive charge rockets the cord from 10-25 feet away. On the ends of the cord are metal anchors that will attach to the suspect’s clothes.
The sound of the discharge is alarming, so that may give suspects pause. From the videos we watched of real-life apprehensions using BolaWrap, suspects seemed to wonder WTF just happened to them, and how in the last .3 seconds did they get wrapped up like a Christmas ham? It’s quite fun to watch and listen to.