Several body camera videos show officers breaking off foot pursuits and using wire to subdue the agitated gunmen from a distance after shots rang out.
Responding officers were able to immobilize an uncontrollable suspect who appeared to be in a mental health crisis or on drugs without harming the target, and in the past would have been uncontrollable. De-escalate a situation that could have led to death.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), this is part of a “high-purpose policing movement” that coincides with an increase in police encounters with erratic suspects, resulting in deadly law enforcement encounters. They are 10 times more likely to be involved in a collision.
Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Chief Kevin Davis said the move will “prioritize safety and emphasize de-escalation” and “expect to transform our ability to solve cases, especially in crisis situations.”
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In the body camera video, the suspect can be heard saying, “I can’t control my body. You’re going to decapitate me right here,” but the new technology allows the unstable suspect to experience pain. The police were able to take him into custody. (Mountlake Terrace Police Department, via WRAP)
Tools, including certain chokeholds and other physical restraints that are banned in about half of the states, are coming out of law enforcement’s toolbox and need to be replaced.
That’s where technology comes in, like a hand-held restraint called Bola.
Several body camera videos from police in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, shared with FOX News Digital show responding officers yelling commands such as “get ready for bolas” before activating the device.
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The armed suspect was unable to move and was subdued from a distance, but was not injured. (Mountlake Terrace Police Department, via WRAP)
In each video, the suspect is on the ground, motionless and without any hand-to-hand combat or use of a firearm. In one video, the gunman threatened to shoot.
Several gunshots were heard in the background, but no one was injured, and the video shows the captured suspect wrapped up like a Spider-Man villain and taken into custody.
WATCH: Police apprehend armed suspect using body camera footage
WRAP CEO Scott Cohen said the mental health crisis, especially in large cities, is getting worse every year, and response officers are being sent to noisy scenes where anything can happen.
“Every year, thousands of people who get into violent altercations with police struggle with mental health crises,” Cohen told Fox News Digital. “Other tools that have been used in the past have relied on pain compliance, but our tool allows people to get the help they need without hurting them.”
“While there are certainly many cases where force is the only way to subdue a suspect, there are also many cases where force is not necessary.”
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Restraints involve wrapping wire around a suspect to prevent them from moving. (Mountlake Terrace Police Department, via WRAP)
The Fairfax County Police Department, near the nation’s capital, is the newest police department to implement the new technology after a pilot program that began in November 2022.
“With so many positive outcomes achieved, the department has determined that deploying BolaWrap to all patrol officers will be a valuable asset to the department’s toolkit,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release. said.
Fairfax County, Virginia, police demonstrate how a hand-held restraint device called a “Bola” works. (Fairfax County Police Department)
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Police and WRAP sent Fox News Digital several body camera videos showing various situations in which the BolaWrap was deployed.
In one video, the suspect can be seen yelling at police: “I can’t control my body. You’re going to decapitate me right here.”
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Responding officers prepare Bolar Wraps and pursue the suspect. (Mountlake Terrace Police Department, via WRAP)
It’s unclear whether the subject of the video was in a mental health crisis or under the influence, but the Mountlake Terrace officers grabbed Bola and went to work.
In the video, a green laser dot appears on his leg. That’s the goal. Officers fired a wire from several feet away, and the subject quickly surrendered without incident.
Watch full body camera video of the situation
“America is in the midst of a mental health and opioid crisis, and law enforcement has never before spent so much time responding to mentally ill suspects,” WRAP said in a statement.
“Their daily job is now less about chasing down violent criminals and more about placating disobedient people who don’t pose a deadly threat.”
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NAMI details a list of obstacles law enforcement faces when confronting EDPs (emotionally disturbed persons) and drug users.
Nami said it is imperative that law enforcement agencies review their training and leverage technology because “the use of force disproportionately impacts people with mental illness.”
Fairfax County Police Department officers are conducting training on how to use BolaWrap. (Fairfax County Police Department)
“Interactions between law enforcement and people with mental illness often escalate and can even be fatal,” NAMI says on its website. . ”
Advocacy groups say police shouldn’t be the first to arrive at the scene of a mentally ill person, but that’s not the case.
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That said, “it is critical that law enforcement agencies have the tools, resources, and training to reduce the use of force during responses,” NAMI said.
fox news digital emily robertson contributed to this report.
