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Date: 12/12/2023
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Police Department was one of 130 police departments across the state to receive funding to address unmet public safety priorities in its community.
The Healey-Driscoll administration announced nearly $5 million in funds awarded to the various police departments, made possible by the Edward J. Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program, a federal grant awarded by the Department of Justice to the Office of Grants and Research.
On Nov. 20, Mayor Domenic Sarno announced that the city of Springfield was accepted into the JAG program and would be receiving $49,982.91 for the purchasing of additional BolaWrap devices.
BolaWrap devices are a nonlethal restraining device that police officers utilize to control “unruly individuals” that may be trying to inflict harm on themselves or others, according the Mayor’s Office.
The funding will also cover nonlethal BolaWrap cassettes — the cartridges that launch the nonlethal restraint — and training for 108 officers and supervisors.
During the Dec. 4 City Council meeting, Police Officer Anthony Kelleher explained that BolaWrap is a deployment device that acts as handcuffs would. It deploys out a more than 7-foot Kevlar cord with probes on the end that can wrap up an individual.
He went on to say that there are targeted areas when this device is deployed, such as the elbow to wrist area of the upper body or between the knees and the ankles of the lower body of an individual. “That is to help wrap them safely and to be able to minimize the movement following that. It’s also to reduce the risk of injury because there is a sharp edge on this,” Kelleher said.
He shared that the device is designed for the sharp edges to get caught on clothing because otherwise, the Kevlar cord would unwrap.
Ward 8 City Councilor Zaida Govan said she is happy the city is getting this equipment because it is nonlethal and better than an officer using a gun.
Kelleher shared that the goal is to make the BolaWrap available to different areas — to have one assigned to each district on varying shifts.
At the time of the meeting, Kelleher said about 30 officers have already been trained to use the BolaWrap devices. The officer must pass a series of practical and written exams to use it.
The City Council unanimously voted to accept the grant.
Sarno said, “I want to thank Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, and Secretary of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy for their continued belief, partnership and investment in this JAG program to enhance public safety across our commonwealth.”
He continued, “I also want to commend Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood for her support of this proactive and potential lifesaving piece of equipment. This nonlethal restraint device will help to reduce the risk of injury to our brave and dedicated police officers when they are trying to restrain an individual.”
In April, Sarno attended a demonstration of this device at the Police Training Facility on Page Boulevard and was able to witness the first-hand effectiveness of this device, he shared.
Clapprood said, “This is another tool our officers can use as a compliance technique to potentially de-escalate situations before they become violent. Officers can use the BolaWrap device on individuals that are not responding to an officers’ commands, who may be assaultive, in situations where individuals may be attempting to harm themselves or others with known or suspected mental health issues. It will by no means replace our other service equipment but will provide our officers with a nonlethal device to help control a potentially dangerous situation and reduce the risk of injury for our officers.”
Sarno reiterated the importance of this grant, adding, “Pursuing this grant to equip our Springfield Police Department with an additional nonlethal tool to utilize to help control and de-escalate unsafe situations where there could be danger to our police officers, the public or self-harm upon the individuals themselves is a no brainer.”
Police departments submitted proposals for this grant in early 2023. Grant reviewers recognized projects that aligned with priority areas such as strategies to address unlawful drug use, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, gang and gun violence, missing person cases and hate crimes. Other priorities funded by this grant are technology upgrades, investigative tools and protective gear, and school safety and security, to name a few.
“This program invests federal funds to make Massachusetts communities safer and stronger,” said Healey. “This program allows towns and cities to identify their most pressing needs and direct funding to address those challenges. The ability of local public safety leaders to guide funds toward priority safety initiatives encourages a holistic approach to improving safety in communities with diverse needs.”