A second local police department is considering buying new technology designed for officers to use when a suspect needs to be stopped but is not armed. It acts like a device typically used by fictional superheroes.
Representatives of Wrap Technologies demonstrated the BolaWrap on Friday to more than a half-dozen central Ohio law-enforcement agencies at the firing range at the Reynoldsburg police headquarters.
The BolaWrap looks something like a stun gun with a laser sight and sounds like a gun when fired. But instead of bullets, it discharges an 8-foot-long Kevlar tether with a fishhook-like grip on each end that wraps around the arms or legs of the target, with the hooks attaching to clothing to hobble the person.
The device, designed to keep someone from moving toward officers or fleeing, is best used at a distance of 10 to 18 feet.