Ohio Officers Deploy BolaWrap to Help Prevent 'Suicide by Cop' Attempt
By Officer.com News
Wrap Technologies recently released new bodycam footage of a successful BolaWrap deployment in Defiance, Ohio that helped officers prevent a “suicide by cop” attempt.
On June 7, 2021, Defiance, Ohio Police Department officers responded to a suicidal male subject in crisis. The subject repeatedly asked officers to shoot him before stating that he was armed. An officer deployed the BolaWrap, allowing him to safely handcuff the subject without using a higher level of force.
After the successful BolaWrap deployment, officers were able to safely transport the subject to a hospital.
Defiance Police Chief Todd Shafer said his officers are glad to have the BolaWrap, “knowing that they have a tool now that is going to prevent that escalation and force, especially in this situation where somebody might be threatening that they have a firearm, but you don't see it. You don't want to jump that higher level unless you need to. The BolaWrap allows us to be able to take them under control even without going to the TASER or any other intermediate force.”
WRAP President and CEO Tom Smith said that the Defiance officers handled a challenging situation exceptionally well. "I’m pleased that the BolaWrap was able to help the officers protect themselves and the subject by safely preventing the situation from escalating. When a subject is in crisis, the most important goal is to safely get them help - and that’s exactly what the officers achieved here.”
The bodycam footage can be viewed here. This was the Defiance Police Department’s third BolaWrap deployment. Each encounter ended with the subjects being safely taken for help.
Chief Shafer added, “The ability to rectify situations with the most minimal force used is the best outcome we can hope and wish for. These were three major incidents that could have really gone the wrong way.”
The BolaWrap is currently being tested and used by more than 500 agencies in the U.S. and 44 countries.
