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Why suburban police have high hopes for new Batman-worthy restraint gadget

Catching bad guys might never be the same.

At least that's the hope for police in Aurora, where they're testing a new nonlethal restraint tool they say can safely immobilize a criminal or person in distress while keeping officers out of dangerous fights.

"It's an opportunity to prevent an escalation of force," officer Douglas Rashkow said Thursday while demonstrating the BolaWrap 100 in the police department's practice range. "Anytime we can do that, it's a good thing."

  Hooks from the BolaWrap 100 sink into a suspect's clothing and keep the device tight until the person can be apprehended by officers. Aurora police on Thursday demonstrated the BolaWrap 100, which they're deploying this year as part of a pilot program. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

The BolaWrap works by shooting a 7½-foot-long Kevlar tether from a handheld device not much larger than a cellphone. Fired from 10 to 20 feet away with the help of a laser sight, the tether ideally is shot around a person's legs or around the lower torso to pin down arms. It wraps tightly around the person's body and secures itself in the person's clothing with small hooks on both ends of the tether, rendering the person immobile.

And that's not all. The firing of the BolaWrap is accompanied by a deafening boom, providing an additional bit of "shock and awe" to incapacitate the person on the receiving end, said Sgt. Larry Suttle, who heads up training for the Aurora Police Department.

"It's designed to give us time," Rashkow said. "Time we don't have to be hands-on. Time we don't have to be in a physical fight."

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  The BolaWrap 100, a new nonlethal restraint device, shoots something akin to a lasso around a person resisting arrest or in distress. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

More benefits

While officer and civilian safety are paramount, police said there are other BolaWrap benefits. For one, unlike a stun gun or a Taser, the device is not intended to cause pain.

That's important, Rashkow said, particularly when dealing with a mentally ill person or anyone else who might have frequent encounters with police. So the next time police deal with that person, there's not already a sense of escalation.

Suttle said Aurora police will have 12 BolaWraps on the street over the next year as part of a pilot program. When the year is up, the department will evaluate their effectiveness and decide whether to make them a regular part of officers' tool kits.

The department is receiving the test devices for free. Various sources online say they cost about $800 apiece, with each tether costing $25 to $30.

<h3 class="leadin">One more thing

If the BolaWrap looks like it might be a fun Batman-like gadget to try out on your friends, forget about it.

"It's only available to law enforcement agencies," Suttle said.

<h3 class="leadin">When free trials aren't

You see it in a TV ad, or maybe while shopping online, or perhaps even in an unsolicited email. Some revolutionary new product promises to cure your back pain, help you drop stubborn pounds, eliminate your wrinkles, improve your relationships or turn your home into the envy of the neighborhood. Oprah, Ellen and Sally Field are on board, too. And, best of all, you can try it out for free, no obligations and your money back guaranteed.

What's the harm in trying? Plenty, it seems.

According to a new report from the Better Business Bureau, some of those free trials aren't so free. Instead, you might be walking into a "subscription trap" that puts consumers on the hook for expensive shipments of products they didn't agree to buy.

"Free trial offers relying on deception have infested the internet," said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois. "Those running these scams are counting on consumers to be so dazzled by celebrities and big promises that they fail to read the fine print."

The study found that many free trial offers come with fine print buried on the order page or by a link that gives consumers only a short time to receive, evaluate and return the product before facing charges of $100 or more. The same hidden information might state that by accepting the offer, you've signed up for monthly shipments and fees will be charged to your credit card.

Contacting the seller to stop the recurring charges, halt shipments or get refunds is difficult.

Federal Trade Commission data show that complaints about free trials more than doubled from 2015 to 2017. The BBB says it's received nearly 37,000 complaints and Scam Tracker reports about such offers over the last three years.

Victims in resolved FTC cases lost a combined $1.3 billion, and those who complained to the BBB lost on average $186.

And about those celebrity endorsements - don't believe the hype.

Celebrities whose names have been used without permission include Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Mike Rowe, Tim Allen and Sally Field.

How to curb this trend? The BBB has some tips:

• Credit card companies should do more to ensure victims receive chargebacks, and more effort is needed to identify and combat deceptive free trial offers employing credit card systems. Also, more can be done to educate their customers.

• Additional criminal prosecutions are needed. That's the strongest deterrent to a scammer.

• Social media sites should do more to curtail deceptive advertising.

• More consumer education is needed from news media and consumer groups.

If you've been the victim of a free trial fraud, file a complaint with your credit card company, the BBB at www.bbb.org, and the FTC at (877) FTC-HELP.

You can read the report at www.bbb.org.

The Highland Park Police Department pulled out all the stops for its entry in the Police Lip Sync Challenge, a nearly six-minute video featuring comedy, action, dancing and lots of sights from around the North suburb. YOUTUBE frame grab

Best video yet?

  Aurora police demonstrates the BolaWrap 100, a new nonlethal restraint, on Thursday. The device shoots a tether that wraps itself tightly around a person's legs or torso, rendering the person immobile. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

The multitalented cops in North suburban Highland Park have submitted their entry to the Police Lip Sync Challenge, and this one will be hard to top.

Clocking in at nearly six minutes, the video features comedy, dancing, action, local cameos, plenty of sights from the North Shore community and even a blooper reel. It's all set to the song "I'll Be There for You," best known as the theme to the sitcom "Friends."

The song was chosen because it reflects the department's core mission of being part of and there for the community.

"This also was a great opportunity for our officers to allow residents to see their fun side and showcased the excellent camaraderie we have in our organization," Chief Lou Jogmen said. "It also showed some interesting dance moves."

You can check it out on YouTube at www.youtube.com/cityhpil.

• Got a tip or thoughts on a cops and crime-related issue to share? Send an email to copsandcrime@dailyherald.com.

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