Members of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees approved two equipment purchases for the police department during their meeting Nov. 9.
Trustees authorized the expenditure of $5,779 for two radar speed signs for the township at the request of Director of Public Safety/Police Chief Eric Luke. In obtaining prices for the signs, Luke told the board, quotes from another vendor proved to be $1,000 higher in price and included a $550 annual fee, prompting his recommendation to purchase the signs from Evolis.
The board also approved the purchase of three BolaWrap passive restraint devices in the amount of $4,068. Luke explained that these resistance units fire a Kevlar wrap around the legs of a suspect, disabling them.
“This is a great option for officers,” Luke said. “The devices just came out in 2019 and we have been watching them for awhile. Currently, according to the manufacturer, 20 to 25 local departments have started using them. This is a device used to restrain a suspect before a taser is fired,” he said. The shock of being wrapped up disables a suspect, Luke said, without causing the pain of a taser or pepper spray.
Luke explained that this device is mechanically activated using a dummy 380 round to propel the Kevlar rope onto the legs of a suspect. He said the current model sounds like a gunshot when deployed but the newer, later models the township was purchasing have been improved so that there is no gunshot noise upon firing of the device.
Trustee Matt Oddy commented that he felt the devices were a “great, non-lethal-option” for the department.
Both purchases will be fully funded from the township share of drug forfeiture funds and will not be a tax revenue expense, Luke stressed. Board members unanimously approved both purchases.
