In keeping with the trajectory of more progressive policing techniques, the Pharr Police Department held a demonstration Tuesday showcasing a new less-than-lethal tool it is considering bringing to the streets of Pharr.
Representatives of BolaWrap visited the Pharr Police Department to showcase their hand-held remote restraint device.
“To see it up close was actually pretty cool,” Pharr Police Chief Andy Harvey said following the demonstration. “It’s so freaking fast. It’s like a taser. It just shoots out so fast, you don’t even see it. I like it. I was pretty impressed.”
The BolaWrap discharges an eight-foot Kevlar tether, much like a taser. With a loud bang, the bola-like tether discharges at approximately 513 feet-per-second and wraps around a subject’s arms or legs. The tool temporarily restrains the individual and provides officers with an opportunity to place handcuffs.
Harvey said he intends to bring the device before the city commission as early as Monday in hopes of implementing the new device in the near future.
“I can definitely see the mental health unit having this because they deal with people in crisis, and sometimes people in crisis can be evasive and sometimes dangerous,” Harvey said. “I could definitely see them having it and I can see our patrol officers having it as well.
“I do think it’s safer.”
The police chief said the BolaWrap is an example of his department taking advantage of available technology. The device is still fairly new, he said, with roughly 400 departments around the country utilizing the technology.
“It’s always about anything that’s going to keep officers and the community safer. It’s a no-brainer,” Harvey said.
The demonstration took place during day 2 of the trial involving Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was videotaped with his knee on the neck of George Floyd, who later died.
Harvey said he hopes that technology such as the BolaWrap, along with better training, will prevent similar incidents from happening in Pharr.
“George Floyd — obviously what we saw was horrific,” Harvey said. “Could it have been prevented? Of Course. As a police chief, I always have to look at ways to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening, especially in our city. It’s a no-brainer for me. You’ve got to check what’s out there. I do think something like (BolaWrap) gives officers more options, and when officers have more options they can make better decisions, especially when it comes to use of force.
“Anything that may prevent somebody from being severely injured or the use of lethal force — if we can prevent that, then we have to look at that.”
