In the face of a national civil rights movement over the shooting of unarmed civilians, police forces all over the US are testing a weapon designed to lasso fleeing suspects with a Kevlar rope.
Developed two years ago, the BolaWrap is slightly larger than a television remote and boasts laser sights and a range of 25 feet.
It fires like a handgun, shooting out an 8ft length of rope at 640ft per second. The rope is weighted on either end with hooks designed to catch hold of a suspect’s clothes as they wrap around his legs or torso.
In New York, where it was tested recently by the Yonkers police department, it prompted comparisons to one of the devices carried on the utility belt of Batman in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
“Anytime you have an option to use less force, it’s good for everyone,” Charles Gardner, Yonkers police commissioner, told the New York Post.
The Las Vegas company behind the device said it had been tested by police all over the country.
Alex Barnes of Wrap Technologies said it was created by Woody Norris, an inventor who has developed sonic weapons used to ward off pirates.
He said: “The reaction from the law enforcement community has been overwhelmingly positive.”
