MARICOPA, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The video above is from an earlier broadcast.
Instead of shooting guns, Maricopa police officers are being trained to shoot cables that can hook around and immobilize combative suspects.
The Maricopa Police Department announced earlier this month it had begun utilizing BolaWrap, which can project a 7-foot cord and wrap around the arms or legs of an individual from up to 25 feet away.
Officer Jeff Pokrant said the device can serve as a painless alternative to tasers or pepper spray in detaining a citizen who is not complying with an officer's demands.
The BolaWrap deploys cables in a fashion that's "kind of like Spider-Man," Pokrant said, and can help detain a suspect more safely than other types of police interventions.
"They can't take a step, they can't move their arms, (BolaWrap) allows us to go in safely and take them into custody without hurting the suspect, without hurting the officer," Pokrant said.
Maricopa has purchased eight BolaWrap devices and officers are now using them in the field.
Several other police agencies around Arizona have been implementing BolaWrap into their officer training for the last couple of years.
As of last year, police agencies in Tempe, Glendale, Avondale, Goodyear, Lake Havasu, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety had begun to train with BolaWrap devices.
BolaWrap is not the first piece of new technology deployed by Maricopa police in recent years.
A couple of years ago, the agency purchased GPS trackers that can shoot out of a police vehicle and stick to a fleeing suspect's car.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12 News YouTube playlist here.