SafeWrap™ Lateral Restraint System

SafeWrap™ is a proprietary system of lateral restraint that is designed to maximize physical control while reducing the risk of injury to all parties involved in a use of force encounter.

The system was created by Gracie University in response to inquiries from healthcare institutions that needed a way to safely restrain aggressive, suicidal, or emotionally disturbed patients in hospitals. With patient safety as the top priority, it was imperative that the system utilize no joint locks and no choke holds. The system was specifically designed to avoid compression of the diaphragm to facilitate breathing and reduce the potential of a panicked response in the restrained individual.

Due to the tremendous success of its application, it was quickly realized that SafeWrap had the potential to facilitate improved outcomes across various public and private sector organizations, while maintaining the public’s confidence in the frontline personnel of these organizations. Institutional applications include:

• Law Enforcement: Officers can rely on the system to optimize control and reduce the risk of injury (to the extent possible) in multiple-officer arrests.
• Corrections: For inmates who need to be restrained, corrections officers can use the system to accomplish the task while minimizing the risk of injury.
• Military: When military members are interacting with civilians, foreign or domestic, the system can be used to take effective control while minimizing the risk of injury.
• First Responders: Firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics can use the system to control aggressive, suicidal, or emotionally disturbed individuals.
• Healthcare: Medical professionals can reduce the risk of injury to all parties when using the system to restrain patients before transitioning into the system’s four-point restraint procedure.
• Flight Attendants: When faced with an unruly or assaultive passenger at high altitude, flight attendants can use the system to restrain the person on the floor or in their seat.
• Elderly Care: Considering the aging bodies and various states of dementia and frailty in this population, caregivers can use the system to administer compassionate care.
• Security: From arenas to casinos to retail stores, security guards can use the system to non-violently control civilians before applying handcuffs or passing them off to law enforcement.
• Education: With youth violence on the rise, educators can use the system to restrain students while also protecting themselves from harm.
• Childcare: The system can be adapted for use on children of any age in the event that they become a threat to their own safety, or that of others, and need to be de-escalated.

Any institution that requires its staff members to interact with the public would benefit from certifying its staff in the SafeWrap system.

Traditional Restraint Challenges
When de-escalation fails and staff members are required to physically restrain a person it can be unpredictable and dangerous, especially in cases where the staff members are poorly trained.

The most common method for two people to control a single, resistant subject is with prone restraint. While there are times when prone restraint is safe and advisable, when it is relied upon as the default method of restraint, it may give the subject being restrained certain tactical advantages that increase the risk of injury to the restrainers, including, but not limited to:

1. Escape Power: When the subject is placed on their stomach, they are optimally positioned to push off the ground which may enable them to stand up and escape, or cause harm to others.
2. Hidden Hands: In the prone position, the subject’s hands are often tightly buried beneath their body, making it very difficult for the restrainers to extract their arms (as is often required for handcuffing).
3. Weapon Access: Because their hands are hidden, the subject may be able to access a weapon in their waistband, and by the time others become aware of the threat, it may be too late.

SafeWrap Benefits
When all members of an organization are SafeWrap certified, teamwork is optimized and the probability of injury to all parties is reduced to the absolute minimum. Here are some of the most significant benefits of the system:

	Optimal Communication With all staff members certified in the SafeWrap system, communication and teamwork are highly optimized.
	Maximum Control The simultaneous upper and lower body controls significantly reduce the subject’s escape potential and their access to weapons.
	Lateral Handcuffing A simple procedure that allows for safe and effective application of handcuffs while keeping the subject on their side for the entire process.
	Injury Reduction By avoiding joint locks, chokes, and strikes, the system reduces liability by minimizing the chance of injury to all parties.
	Dynamic De-Escalation Full visibility of the subject’s face gives restrainers the opportunity to read emotional cues and communicate more effectively to enhance verbal de-escalation throughout the entire encounter.
	Improved Medical Monitoring Restrainers can more effectively monitor the subject for medical distress, and immediately render aid in case of an emergency.
	Improved Public Relations The gentle control and benign appearance of SafeWrap reduces the likelihood of public backlash after an incident.