CASSELBERRY, Fla. – In a significant advancement in law enforcement techniques, the Casselberry Police Department has adopted a new method for restraining individuals who resist arrest.
A new full-body device not only safeguards officers and suspects, but also protects bystanders.
Traditionally, officers relied on leg restraints, which left the upper body free and posed potential risks. Now, with the introduction of the full-body harness the “Wrap,” the department aims to enhance safety for everyone involved.
Casselberry Police Department Cpl. Joanne Stanley explained how it works.
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“It’s a restraining device that we use out on patrol for the safety of the officer and the individual that’s under arrest or in protective custody,” Stanley said. “A drunk individual or someone under the influence of drugs or someone who’s having a mental breakdown.”
Stanley said the first time an officer used the Wrap was on a suspect resisting arrest for drunk driving. The device forced the suspect to calm himself.
“They eventually calm down, mainly because of exhaustion,” Stanley said. “When someone is in a mental state their adrenaline is high, they can’t move their legs or body or heads so they eventually sit there and think about it and the adrenaline goes down and it they just calm down.”
Previously, the department used the “Hobble,” a leg-only restraint.
It “could be dangerous because the person can still move their upper body,” according to Stanley.
The Wrap is a three-part device. It involves strapping together the legs, wrapping the arms in a full-body sleeve and placing a helmet on the individual’s head.
Cpl. Juan Saavedra teaches other officers how to safely use the Wrap.
“If we can’t restrain the suspect what’s to say they can’t get away from our grasp and decide to hurt someone out in the community,” Saavedra said.
Using the Wrap, two officers can lift the restrained individual into a patrol car.
So far, the police department has given one Wrap to each patrol unit and will put more in more patrol cars to make sure each unit has several available at all times.
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