POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - It has a trigger but it's not your usual gun. It fires a rope so the suspect can't run. The device is called a Bola Wrap Gun. It's a new tool the Pocomoke Police Department will start utilizing, if necessary, during an arrest.
Officers believe the device is a safer alternative than a hand gun. Once the shot is made, the rope wraps around the suspects legs.
Dan Savage, with Wrap Technologies, spent Monday training Pocomoke Police Officers on how to use a Bola Wrap Gun.
He says it adds safety factors to not only officers but the individual.
"It's a big benefit to the officers because they can reply it remotely, up to 25 feet away of the individual before they move in and go hands on. We want to give the individual the opportunity to comply," says Savage.
Pocomoke Police Chief, Arthur Hancock, says the Bola Wrap Guns are not replacing the officers hand guns. However, they will be used to give police another alternative to detain someone.
“We're looking at people who may not understand the commands given by an officer. Maybe they might have a mental illness and what we're able to do is restrain that person without them causing harm to themselves or anyone else," says Hancock.
The Police Chief tells WBOC it cost $15,000 to supply the officers with this new device and it was fully funded by a state grant.
The Pocomoke City Police Department says it will start using the bola wrap guns next week.
