Seaside PD gets ‘ultimate immobilization system’

UPDATE 4/5/2016 5:45 PM:

More law enforcement agencies on the Central Coast are using a different type of restraint system. The WRAP is used to restrain uncooperative and violent suspects during arrest, detainment or transport.

Billed as the “Ultimate Safe Restraint System,” the WRAP device safely secures a person’s legs, arms and hands while keeping them upright. The tool, which has been around for 20 years, is now being used at more and more departments across the Central Coast.

Here’s how it works: A handcuffed person is put facedown on the ground. Their legs are bound so they can’t kick anyone. The upper part of the restraint is fastened to the leg bindings. The person is then placed upright with enough room to breathe comfortably.

“We want to minimize the amount of force we have to use and physical encounter by securing their bodies, securing their legs, their arms, and getting them to whatever facility they have to as safely as possible,” said Seaside Police Cmdr. Nick Borges.

Officers said the alternative is the leg hobble, also known as the hog-tie.

“We have not experienced any in-custody deaths with that, but nationwide there are a lot of studies out there that show the hobble restraint, sometimes you hear it called the hog-tie, has resulted in a lot of in custody deaths,” Borges said.

Seaside police have two WRAP kits that are kept in a supervisor’s car, so a supervisor is always present when they’re deployed.

The department joins others, including Scotts Valley, Watsonville and Monterey Police in using the WRAP. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is buying the WRAP to use in the jail. While it’s not feasible for the Sheriff’s Office to give them to deputies in the field yet, it is something they would consider.

“In the future, when we get our staffing up to where we can handle something like that, where we’d be able to get three-five people on scene in a short amount of time to be able to handle that type of situation, absolutely,” Cmdr. John Thornburg said. “We would take a look at it again and if needed or we decided it would work, we’d purchase more devices.”

ORIGINAL POST:

Called the “ultimate immobilization system,” and even a “high-tech hog-tie,” it’s technically called The WRAP, and two of them are now in the hands of Seaside Police.

The tool isspecifically designed to prevent serious injury when dealing with violent offenders. Invented by retired sergeants from the Walnut Creek Police Department in California, it secures the offender’s legs, arms and hands, all while keeping the offender in an upright seated position.

The purchase of two WRAPs by Seaside Police is part of the department’s ongoing effort to keep both suspects and police officers safe.Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Gilroy and Monterey Police already use it.

KION’s Mariana Hicks is learning more about the tool, even testing it out herself. For more on the restraint system, tune into KION Tuesday night.