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.
Listed below are some of the benefits of the SafeWrap system:
Reduces Pressure
Using the SafeWrap system, the individual is restrained on their side, in the lateral recumbent position, so that no external weight is placed on the thoracic region, thereby greatly reducing diaphragmatic pressure.
Reduces Weapon Access
When utilizing the lateral restraint position of the SafeWrap system, the restrainers have improved visibility and control of the individual’s hands, thus reducing their ability to access their own weapon, or someone else’s weapon, in the immediate area.
Reduces Escape
During restraint, any escape attempts may result in increased risk for the restrained individual, the restrainers, and any third parties. The most common and intuitive escape behavior used by individuals in prone restraint, is to try to “build the house,” which consists of them pushing off the ground to post on their hands and knees with the goal of returning to a standing position. Since the SafeWrap system provides the restrainers control of the individual’s arms and legs in the lateral restraint position, their ability to push off the ground to escape is greatly inhibited.
Reduces Panic
Since the SafeWrap system restrains individuals in the lateral recumbent position, the likelihood and severity of panic is greatly reduced, making voluntary compliance achievable in the least amount of time possible.
Reduces Injury Potential
The SafeWrap system can be applied by as few as two people, acting in a coordinated manner, to safely and effectively deploy the system’s sequential steps to gain control of an individual. Because the SafeWrap system does not utilize joint locks, choke holds, strikes or pain compliance techniques – its designed to significantly reduce the chance of injury. Should additional support arrive on scene to assist, beyond the two individuals applying the system, they can then be utilized to secure the surrounding area, enhancing safety for all involved.
Reduces Litigation Exposure
In every use of force there is a risk of injury, but poor subject control increases these risks. With increased risk of injury, the likelihood of excessive force litigation also increases. When utilizing the SafeWrap system, the tactical effectiveness of the restraint is such that the escalation of force is kept to an absolute minimum.
Facilitates Communication
When using the SafeWrap system, communication is greatly enhanced by the fact that both restrainers are positioned on one side of the restrained individual, allowing for eye contact and calm communication with one another throughout the entire process.
Facilitates De-Escalation
An essential requirement for successful de-escalation is effective communication with the restrained individual. It has been well established that non-verbal communication is equally as important (if not more) than verbal communication, facial expressions are of critical significance during this process. By providing restrainers with optimal visibility of the restrained individual’s face, the SafeWrap system facilitates verbal communication while also allowing the restrainers to assess the restrained individual’s non-verbal cues.
Facilitates Intervention
Once a team of two SafeWrap certified individuals arrives on the scene of a use-of-force encounter, not only are they more capable of restraining an individual with the lowest level of reasonable force, they are also more capable of intervening if they observe untrained individuals using a higher level of force than what is reasonable and necessary, given the circumstances.
Facilitates Handcuffing
One of the benefits of prone restraint is that it positions the restrained individual with their arms under their body thereby reducing the ease with which they can launch an attack on their restrainers. A known disadvantage of this position, however, is the fact that once the restrained individual’s hands are buried beneath their body, it can be difficult to extract their hands for handcuff application. One significant feature of the SafeWrap system is that it contains a lateral handcuffing procedure, which enables the restrainers to apply handcuffs while the subject is held in the lateral recumbent position. For healthcare and corrections applications, the SafeWrap system also features a systematic method of applying four-point restraints, whether it be on a stretcher or in a restraint chair.
Facilitates Aftercare
A significant danger associated with arresting resistant subjects is the loss of consciousness due to any stimulus or medical condition (known or unknown). If a subject loses consciousness while in prone restraint, it can be difficult for the restrainers to detect. The SafeWrap system, restrains individuals on their side, allowing restrainers to visually and tactilely monitor the condition of the restrained individual, ensuring that immediate aid can be rendered in the event of a medical emergency.
SafeWrap Licensing
The SafeWrap system is patent pending worldwide and requires a license for institutional use.
The purpose of the license is to ensure: 1) every certified instructor teaches the system to the highest quality standard, and 2) every end user of the system achieves maximum retention and effectiveness in its application.
To obtain a license to teach the SafeWrap system, one must first complete the SafeWrap Instructor Certification Program (ICP). This can be accomplished in a standalone two-day SafeWrap ICP course, or at one of the 5-day courses we provide for law enforcement or healthcare professionals.
For institutions or organizations that have one or more SafeWrap certified instructors and are willing to commit to certain minimum SafeWrap training requirements, they may obtain a free 12-month license to teach the system to all members of their organization to make sure it is exactly what they are looking for before they commit financially to the system.
Historically, only certified instructors would get access to the online Gracie video curriculums. Once an organization is licensed, however, all members of the organization will receive access to the SafeWrap online video curriculum through GracieUniversity.com. This is critical at organizations where hands-on training is limited to one or two training days per year, since it gives each staff member the ability to log on and review instructional material at any time. Giving end-users of the SafeWrap the ability to review materials day or night improves retention and helps ensure the best possible outcomes in use of force encounters.
For these reasons, many organizations mandate that their staff members log on and review the video material periodically, and this administrative viewing confirmation process is a service offered by Gracie University for any organization that wants to take advantage of it.
During the free initial 12-month licensing period, the organization will have the opportunity to evaluate the SafeWrap system’s effectiveness in several key categories:
- Civilian Injury Reduction: SafeWrap is specifically designed to minimize injuries to restrained individuals.
- Staff Injury Reduction: SafeWrap reduces panic and injury by providing every staff member a clear action plan for safe and effective 2-on-1 restraint.
- Organization Liability Reduction: By prioritizing the reduction of injuries to staff members and civilians, may also experience a reduction in excessive force litigation and worker’s compensation claims.
- Improved Public Relations: Due to its benign appearance and de-escalatory design, the SafeWrap system can help an organization preserve and improve its relationship with the communities it serves.
- Ease of Implementation: Unlike other methods of 2-on-1 restraint that require each staff member to memorize complex steps, the principle-based approach of the SafeWrap system makes it easy to learn for anyone, regardless of grappling experience.
- Effectiveness in the Field: Due to the ease and effectiveness with which the SafeWrap system can be learned and applied in a short period of time, an organization should not be surprised when the observable benefits of adoption immediate and pronounced.
If, upon completing this 12-month evaluation period, the evidence is irrefutable and the organization concludes that SafeWrap meets or exceeds its expectations in all the categories above, the organization will have the opportunity to extend the licensing agreement upon paying an annual licensing fee commensurate with the size of the organization and its budget.
If, however, the SafeWrap system does not meet expectations during the initial 12-month term, the organization may cancel the licensing agreement with no further obligation to Gracie University.
Law Enforcement “Small Agency” Consideration
Small law enforcement agencies (with fewer than 50 sworn officers) may obtain a license to use the SafeWrap system at no cost. Once the instructor(s) in an organization earn their SafeWrap instructor certification, the agency may obtain a free two-year license (the same duration as the instructor certification) to use the system. Even though the license is free, small agencies are still required to honor the terms of the agreement (quality control, minimum hours of SafeWrap instruction, etc.) to ensure the system provides maximum benefit to the agency and its officers.
To obtain a free SafeWrap license with “Small Agency” consideration, please submit the SafeWrap licensing inquiry.
What are the intellectual property considerations for officers who learn the SafeWrap system?
It is not our intent or desire to pursue litigation against any unlicensed individual who independently uses SafeWrap in a use-of-force encounter, even if this individual is a member of an organization who chooses to cancel the SafeWrap license after the free 12-month evaluation term. If, however, an organization or individual is teaching the system, by pattern or practice, they are required to have a valid license when doing so.
Are there any expectations for the organization to qualify for the 12-month unpaid licensing term?
Besides having one or more instructors complete the SafeWrap Instructor Certification Program, the only requirements to qualify for the free 12-month license are: 1) the organization must agree to provide its staff members at least four (hours) of hands-on SafeWrap training per year, 2) the organization must agree to require quarterly review of a short (approximately 15-minutes) SafeWrap instructional video by each of its staff members (this can be done in group settings [i.e. during pre-shift briefings or “roll-call training”], or solo at a time that is convenient for each staff member), and 3) the organization must be willing to share any videos (and data) surrounding SafeWrap applications in the field with Gracie University (provided they are publicly shareable, and not part of an active investigation).
What happens if our organization gets called into litigation surrounding the use of the SafeWrap system?
If a licensed organization gets involved in litigation surrounding the use of the SafeWrap system, Gracie University will provide expert witness support on the agency’s behalf, at no cost other than the verifiable out-of-pocket expenses associated with providing such support (hotel, airfare, ground transportation, etc).
If the SafeWrap system exceeds all expectations during the 12-month free trial period, and the organization chooses to renew the license to continue using the system, what is the annual licensing fee?
The annual licensing fee is calculated based on the size of the organization and its budget. To get a custom quote for your organization, please click here to submit a SafeWrap licensing inquiry.
Instructor Certification
SafeWrap instructor certification can be accomplished in person at a live course, or the entire course can be completed online from anywhere in the world using the Gracie University interactive online learning system and the corresponding video evaluation process.
Law enforcement officers can achieve their SafeWrap instructor certification in the GST Level 2 course or in the standalone two-day SafeWrap instructor course. Non-law enforcement personnel can only achieve the SafeWrap certification in the two-day course.
Bottom line, we believe SafeWrap is the single most important tool any organization can provide its staff members to ensure safer and more effective outcomes in hands-on use-of-force encounters, but we also understand that it is unconventional for a method of restraint to require a license for use.
For this reason, Gracie University is willing to cover the licensing costs for the initial 12-month evaluation term (including the costs for online SafeWrap video access for all staff members), so that the organization can experience first-hand how the system will reduce liability, increase staff confidence, save money for the organization, and improve public relations before deciding if they want to commit financially to the system.
In the event that the organization loves the system but cannot continue after the evaluation period due to financial constraints or budget cuts, just let us know and we’ll see how we can help. The goal with SafeWrap is to save lives and we want to work with you to make that happen.
To get a custom quote on what the licensing costs will be for your organization, or to start your free SafeWrap licensing term, please submit the free licensing inquiry and someone from our team will reach out as soon as possible.
