Abbotsford, B.C., police first in Canada to roll out BolaWrap, a non-lethal restraint tool

The Abbotsford Police Department says it's the first in Canada to deploy a new non-lethal restraint tool called the BolaWrap — a device it says will reduce injuries during "emotionally charged or unpredictable situations."

"[Like when] someone is actively walking away from the officers … and there's grounds to believe that they need to be stopped," said Const. Alex Odintsov with the training section of the police department.

Resembling a large yellow remote, the handheld BolaWrap fires a lasso-like device that wraps around a person's limbs or torso, tethering them from a distance. 

Abbotsford police say it's designed to temporarily restrain someone without using pain to gain compliance.

"It provides another option for officers when intervening with potentially volatile subjects, while at the same time decreasing the injury potential to the subject that is often associated with other tools," said Odintsov, who also led the approval process for the device in British Columbia.

The department says it conducted a 10-month field trial and submitted deployment data to a provincial stakeholder panel, which ultimately cleared the device for use in B.C. as per the provincial policing standard. 

According to Odintsov, the tool was deployed more than a dozen times during the trial period, resulting in no injuries.

"The result was there were no injuries to the subject, and ultimately it aided in apprehension or the arrest," he said.

The constable says the device is also designed to startle rather than incapacitate, as it releases a loud bang when deployed.

"It's loud on deployment, so that startling effect gives the officers that reactionary time to close the distance and potentially go hands-on."

The device is manufactured by U.S.-based Wrap Technologies, which promotes it as "remote handcuffs." 

Odintsov says each unit costs around $2,000, with individual cassettes, which contain the tethered lasso, priced between $55 and $70. The Abbotsford Police Department says it has purchased six devices so far using its operating budget.

Police say officers are trained to assess when the BolaWrap is appropriate, adding the device is most effective when the tethered cords attach to clothing, such as pants. If used on someone in shorts or without clothing, the risk of skin penetration increases.

"Officers are trained to assess what the subject is wearing, what is their behaviour, is injury potential going to be higher … and then make that determination," Odintsov said.

BolaWrap's manufacturer claims the device has an 80 per cent success rate in the field, but the device has seen mixed results elsewhere. 

In Seattle, for example, the police department quietly stopped using the BolaWrap in 2023 after deploying it just three times in two years, according to some local news outlets, including the Seattle Times. CBC News has reached out to Seattle police to confirm the report and the reasons behind the discontinuation.

Odintsov acknowledged the criticism but emphasized the importance of proper training and context.

Odintsov acknowledged that no single tool fits every scenario, stating that BolaWraps are not meant to replace other tools like Tasers, batons or beanbag shotguns but rather to give officers more options.

Abbotsford police say they will continue monitoring the effectiveness of the BolaWrap over the next year before deciding whether to invest in more units.