According to published reports, the Miami Springs Police Department has evaluated a new non-lethal tool that seems like something out of a Batman movie. It’s called the BolaWrap and it literally fires a Kevlar wire that tightly wraps around the subject.
The BolaWrap™ 100 is described as “a hand-held remote restraint device that discharges an 8 foot bola style Kevlar® tether at 640 feet per second to entangle a subject at a range of 10-25 feet.”
This is an ideal tool to use with a subject that may be mentally ill or potentially wanting to harm themselves. This product is also considered safer than a taser which can be ineffective with some people and in some cases kill someone who may have an underlying health condition.
According to the News4Jax report, the BolaWrap is being implemented in South Florida in Coral Gables, Miami Springs, and North Miami.
UPDATE – FEB 20 9:11am: Earlier, we had quoted the News4Jax Report that Miami Springs Police was implementing the BolaWrap system. Chief Guzman reached out and confirmed the City of Miami Springs had evaluated the technology, but at this time has not yet implemented the system.
Chief Guzman added the following: “We hosted a demonstration of this product and received a test device. Although I believe it can be effective in certain situations, it is expensive and I would like to see how other departments utilize it and what problems if any they may encounter.”
