Fayetteville police add “Batman tool”

The Fayetteville Police Department is training its officers to use a new restraint device called a BolaWrap. The department recently got a demonstration of the device, which consists of a handheld cartridge that ejects a cable from 10 to 25 feet away and wraps around a suspect’s body, as an alternative to a taser or other pain-inflicting measure. Chief Scott Gray said the BolaWrap is “like a Batman tool” that is not meant for every situation but can be used to “try to come to a safe end” in certain scenarios. Once restrained, a suspect is taken into custody and the BolaWrap is removed.

The device is made by Wrap Technologies, which conducted the May 21 demonstration and initially trained four officers who will in turn train their colleagues. Former Miami Beach Police Chief Don DeLucca, who led the demonstration, said BolaWraps are already used by nearly 500 police departments around the country. Fayetteville plans to begin using the devices by mid-summer.