It's doesn't look like much, just a lot of straps, metal hooks andcanvas. But the contraption called the "wrap" is strong enough to keepOfficer Chris Young from moving. Officers say it does the same withunruly suspects.
Sgt. Mark Bridgeman says the Fayetteville Police Department has used thewrap several times since getting it in July. Officers say it's much saferthan tying handcuffs to leg irons, which is what officers used to do toapprehend a suspect.
The old method had the potential to cause positional asphyxia, where theweight of the suspect's check on top of their lungs prevented them frombreathing.
No one has ever died that way in Fayetteville police custody, but officersdidn't want to wait for it to happen before making a change.
The idea behind this contraption is to keep a suspect under control so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else. WRAL'sTerri Grucatried it out. Shecouldn't move at all.
That's a trick that prevents a suspect from getting anywhere. Officerssay it's safe for the suspect and for themselves.
All supervisors with the Fayetteville Police Department now carry the wrap.Police say it's a tool that truly measures up to it's name, as a way tokeep violent people under wraps.
Several law enforcement agencies in California use the wrap. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is testing the contraption to see ifit's something they want to try.
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