Three local Police Agencies Agreed to Change Their WRAP Restraint Policies. Here’s Why I Fought for It.

For about two years, I have been asking questions about a law enforcement restraint device called the WRAP Restraint.

This wasn't an issue I went looking for. I became involved after my brother Josh died and I began reviewing body-camera footage showing how local law enforcement had restrained him.

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The WRAP is a full-body restraint designed to immobilize a person from the shoulders down. It is used by police and correctional agencies around the country. The Associated Press has documented its use by ICE during deportation operations, highlighting credible claims that this device was used to abuse immigrants.

The safety concerns surrounding it are serious. Earlier this year, Bloomberg Law conducted a national investigation and identified 41 incidents in which law enforcement used the WRAP on someone who died. Bloomberg found that in 32 of those 41 incidents, officers or jail personnel failed to follow the manufacturer's instructions. The manufacturer disputes any suggestion that the device itself caused those deaths and maintains that, when properly used, it should not cause breathing problems.

Some agencies have decided the risk isn't worth it. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office stopped using the WRAP after a 2018 death and then the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office stopped using it in its jail following a 2024 death.

I chose a different approach.

I didn't want to simply take a restraint tool away from law enforcement. Officers sometimes have to safely control someone who presents a danger to themselves or others. I believed the better solution was to establish clear rules for how this powerful restraint could be used safely.

So I started asking questions.

I raised my concerns publicly and tried to get them addressed through the normal process like civilian complaints and raising the issue at city council meetings. I also reached out to city council directly. When I couldn't get meaningful action, I didn't quit. I filed a writ of mandate involving the Novato Police Department, Fairfax Police Department and Central Marin Police Authority for their use of the WRAP restraint without legally required policy.

This week, we reached a resolution. The three agencies agreed to implement the policy changes I proposed.

Those changes are specific.

The WRAP will now be specifically identified in policy as a use-of-force tool. An officer must be assigned to monitor the installation and use of the WRAP for safety concerns, remain with the restrained person including during transportation, and record the interaction on body-worn camera.

The policies will also require that the restrained person's body not be bent into an acute angle, maintaining an angle greater than 90 degrees, and prohibit adding body weight to the person once the restraint is applied.

Those may sound like technical details. They aren't.

Bloomberg's investigation identified pressure on the neck, back or torso, dangerous positioning and inadequate monitoring among recurring problems it found when examining deaths involving the WRAP.

That's why I'm proud of this resolution.

I support law enforcement. Police officers need effective tools to safely do a difficult job. But supporting our officers doesn't require us to choose between public safety and accountability.

Good policy can provide both.

This experience also says a lot about why I'm running for Novato City Council.

When I see a problem, my first instinct isn't to make a speech about it. I want to understand it. I read the documents. I ask questions. I listen to the different sides. I propose a solution. And if the first attempt doesn't work, I keep going.

That's the same approach I want to bring to homelessness, permitting, infrastructure, public safety and taxpayer spending in Novato.

City Council members won't always agree. I won't always get my way. But residents should expect their representatives to do more than identify problems. They should expect them to put in the work required to solve them.

This particular issue will always be personal to me.

Josh won't benefit from these changes.

But the next person placed into one of these restraints might.

And if an officer now has clearer instructions, if a detainee is monitored more closely, or if one dangerous restraint position is avoided because of these policies, then staying with this fight was worth it.

I didn't set out to take a tool away from police. I set out to make its use safer. And I didn't stop until I got a result I'm proud of.

Mike Little is a candidate for Novato City Council, District 2.