Wrap Technologies Announces BolaWrap Full Deployment of Detroit Police Department’s Mental Health Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)
DETROIT, March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wrap Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: WRAP) (“Wrap” or the “Company”), the makers of BolaWrap and the innovative public safety solutions platform, today announced a 20 unit expansion order for BolaWrap® 150 remote restraint devices by the Detroit Police Department following a successful initial partial deployment in 2023. The aim of this purchase was to support the Detroit PD’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which is tasked with responding to calls relating to individuals in mental health crises.
“Our initial deployment of BolaWrap® with our Crisis Intervention Team has gone incredibly well, and we’re doubling down,” said Detroit Police Department Chief James E. White. “In the old days, you had good guys and bad guys. But today, we have a range of emerging issues we are dealing with relating to mental illness and addiction, in which individuals must be apprehended, but they don’t necessarily pose a deadly threat. Now more than ever, many of the individuals we encounter are suffering from mental health issues — and we need to ensure these people get helped rather than hurt. For this reason, we decided to make a full deployment with the purchase of the additional units. Now our entire Crisis Intervention Team, is outfitted with BolaWrap®, a purpose-built solution that enables us to detain individuals without hurting them.”
In 2023, when they made their initial purchase, Detroit, the most populous city in Michigan, joined more than 1,000 agencies across the US and 60 countries around the world who have adopted Wrap Technologies’ solution and its “no-harm” guiding principle. Wrap Technologies’ BolaWrap® is a proprietary technology that allows officers to safely restrain individuals without causing significant harm or escalating the situation. By deploying a lightweight Kevlar® tether, BolaWrap® can rapidly and temporarily immobilize an individual’s legs or arms, effectively allowing officers to move in while minimizing the potential for injury to both officers and the individual involved.
The Detroit Police Department joins a host of other forces who are seeking out new tools and training to better manage the rising instances of calls relating to mental health issues — and an evolution of policing tactics. The establishment of a CIT, like the one Detroit has pioneered, cannot come soon enough. In the U.S., 50% of all fatal police encounters involve somebody suffering from a mental illness, and those suffering from a mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in a fatal encounter with police.
By placing a second order for BolaWrap® 150 remote restraint devices, the Detroit Police Department has reaffirmed their commitment to a new style of policing that aims to use the minimal amount of force necessary to subdue individuals without placing officers’ lives in danger. Now every officer in the Detroit Police Department’s CIT unit will be expected to carry BolaWrap® on their belts.
This deployment comes at a time in which police interactions with non-violent but non-compliant individuals are reaching unprecedented levels in Detroit. The Detroit Police Department serviced nearly 1,000 more calls for mental health issues in 2023 than it had the year prior — with officers helping to prevent over 1,000 suicides.
“This expanded deployment represents a significant milestone in the adoption of a ‘no-harm’ inspired public safety technique in one of the nation’s largest and most dangerous, urban areas,” said Scot Cohen, CEO of Wrap Technologies. “The Detroit Police are at the national forefront of higher purpose policing by equipping their officers with the first new police tool to be added to any belt in the last 30 years, and we are honored to be working alongside them.”
For more information about Wrap’s BolaWrap® Solution, please visit wrap.com.
About Wrap
Wrap Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: WRAP) is a leading global provider of advanced public safety solutions, integrating state-of-the-art technology, cutting-edge tools, and comprehensive services to address the complex, modern-day challenges facing public safety organizations around the world. Guided by a no-harm principle, Wrap is dedicated to developing groundbreaking solutions that empower public safety agencies to safeguard the communities they serve in a manner that fosters stronger relationships and delivers positive public safety outcomes.
Wrap’s BolaWrap® solution encompasses an innovative and patented hand-held remote restraint device, strategically engineered with Wrap’s no-harm guiding principle to proactively deter escalation by deploying a Kevlar® tether that safely restrains individuals from a distance. Combined with BolaWrap® training, certified by the esteemed International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), Wrap enables officers from over 900 agencies across the US and 60 countries around the world, with the expertise to effectively use BolaWrap® as an early intervention measure, mitigating potential risks and injuries, averting tragic outcomes.
Wrap Reality™, the Company’s advanced virtual reality training system, is a fully immersive training simulator and comprehensive public safety training platform equips first responders with the discipline and practice to prevent escalation, de-escalate conflicts, and apply appropriate tactical use-of-force measures to better perform in the field. By offering a growing range of real-life scenarios, Wrap Reality™ addresses the dynamic nature of modern law enforcement situations for positive public safety outcomes.
Wrap’s Intrensic is a comprehensive, secure, and efficient body-worn camera and evidence collection and management solution designed with innovative technology to quickly capture, safely handle, securely store, and seamlessly track evidence, all while maintaining full transparency throughout the process. With meticulous consolidation and professional management of evidence, confidence in law enforcement and the justice system soars, fostering trust and reliability in court outcomes. The efficient system streamlines the entire process seamlessly, empowering all public safety providers to focus on what matters. Expediting justice with integrity.
For more information, please visit wrap.com.
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Trademark Information
Wrap, the Wrap logo, BolaWrap®, Wrap Reality™ and Wrap Training Academy are trademarks of Wrap Technologies, Inc., some of which are registered in the U.S. and abroad. All other trade names used herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective holders.
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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to: statements regarding the Company’s overall business; total addressable market; and, expectations regarding future sales and expenses. Words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “should”, “believe”, “target”, “project”, “goals”, “estimate”, “potential”, “predict”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “intend”, and variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Moreover, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: the Company’s ability to successful implement training programs for the use of its products; the Company’s ability to manufacture and produce product for its customers; the Company’s ability to develop sales for its new product solution; the acceptance of existing and future products; the availability of funding to continue to finance operations; the complexity, expense and time associated with sales to law enforcement and government entities; the lengthy evaluation and sales cycle for the Company’s product solution; product defects; litigation risks from alleged product-related injuries; risks of government regulations; the business impact of health crises or outbreaks of disease, such as epidemics or pandemics; the impact resulting from geopolitical conflicts and any resulting sanctions; the ability to obtain export licenses for counties outside of the US; the ability to obtain patents and defend IP against competitors; the impact of competitive products and solutions; and the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand, as well as other risk factors mentioned in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other SEC filings. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations.
Wrap’s headquarters are in Tempe, Arizona.
For more information, please visit wrap.com.
Investor Relations Contact:
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Media Relations Contact:
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Released March 5, 2024