The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is looking into the BolaWrap, a 'Batman'-like device that's designed to help subdue a suspect without lethal force.
"We are currently in the discussion phase now on whether to test further in an academy setting or purchase the product for real-world applications," says JSO Public Information Officer Christian Hancock. He says no timetable is available now.
This hand-held device, which an officer can press to deploy an 8-foot-long kevlar cord. Much like Batman's gadget in the movies, the cord lassos around a suspect's legs or arms or both. It has barbs on the end, which attach to the person's clothes.
"The taser was around 20 plus years ago, and there's been nothing since," says Tom Smith, president of Wrap Technologies. He sees police already able to use the lasso --- instead of a gun --- in some situations, "This one from a distant allows you to restrain them and not hurt them. It's the next step for law enforcement to be Batman or Spiderman," he says.
Of course, no one is taking the superhero analogy lightly. We are talking about life and death situations.
LAPD Lt. David Bluestein says so far about 900 of his officers have been trained on the BolaWrap. They still field-testing the device now in Los Angeles, but he thinks it's promising. He sees its value, especially when a person with mental health issues becomes dangerous.
"It will cause the least amount of injury to the subject," he says.
Police point to confrontations when a suspect has a knife or a stick as particularly appropriate for the Batman device.
Smith says more than 240 agencies in the U.S. have or are looking at the BolaWrap.