SafeWrap is a proprietary restraint system originally developed to safely manage mental health crises in healthcare settings. Since its creation, it has expanded across all sectors of public service, from law enforcement to fire/EMS to education and beyond. Designed to maximize control without the use of joint locks or choke holds, SafeWrap prioritizes free breathing and minimizes panic, making it one of the most humane and effective restraint solutions ever created.
Watch this video to learn more…
THE PROBLEM
While prone restraint be necessary and appropriate in some instances, when it’s the only option available during a physical encounter, it can inadvertently increase risks, which may result in injuries, legal liabilities, and public scrutiny.
Weapon Access
Because their hands are hidden, the subject may be able to access a concealed weapon in their waistband, and by the time others become aware of the threat, it may be too late.
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.
Hidden Hands
Prone subjects typically hide their hands to avoid extraction for handcuffing. This often frustrates restrainers, causing an escalation of force that increases liability for the organization.
THE SOLUTION
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.
With all staff members certified in the SafeWrap system, communication and teamwork are highly optimized.
The simultaneous upper and lower body controls significantly reduce the subject's escape potential and their access to weapons.
A simple procedure that allows for safe and effective application of handcuffs while keeping the subject on their side for the entire process. For healthcare applications, where handcuffs may not be used, an equally simple and safe option exists for 4-point restraint application.
By avoiding joint locks, chokes, and strikes, the system reduces liability by minimizing the chance of injury to all parties.
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.
By holding the subject on their side, restrainers can more effectively monitor the subject for medical distress, by observing non-verbal facial cues, and immediately render aid in case of an emergency.
The gentle control and benign appearance of SafeWrap reduces the likelihood of public backlash after an incident.
A COMPLETE SYSTEM
De-Escalation
SafeWrap
SafeDown
Prone Entry
Turtle Entry
Intervention Entry
Seated Entry
SafeSwitch
Lateral Handcuffing
4-Point Restraints
Restraint Chair
WrapStrap
Solo Survival
In a moment of crisis, SafeWrap users are taught to use verbal de-escalation to reduce the intensity of the conflict and avoid physical intervention, if safe and feasible.
If verbal de-escalation is not safe or feasible, the SafeWrap system is designed to restrain a person with the lowest probability of injury to all parties when compared to any other existing system in the world.
While takedowns can be dangerous, through teamwork and technique, the SafeDown reduces the risk of injury during descent to the absolute minimum.
If the subject is lying on their stomach, the Prone Entry can be used to turn them to their side for SafeWrap application.
If a grounded subject attempts to get up on their hands and knees, the Turtle Entry can be used to regain control before they escape.
If a staff member is being assaulted on the ground, the Intervention Entry can be used to neutralize the aggressor and initiate the SafeWrap system.
If a non-compliant subject is seated and needs to be restrained or taken into custody, the Seated Entry can be used to take control.
If a SafeWrap user needs relief during an encounter, another certified user can easily step in and take over without compromising subject control.
Conventional grounded handcuffing requires the subject to be placed in prone position, but this may give the subject several tactical advantages including escape power, hidden hands, and weapon access. With the Lateral Handcuffing Procedure, handcuffs can be safely and effectively applied with the subject on their side for the entire process.
In healthcare settings, aggressive patients regularly need to be secured to the hospital bed or stretcher using four-point restraints. This process often requires 6-10 staff members and injuries are extremely common. With SafeWrap, the patient can be secured and safely restrained with as little as three staff members.
While restraint chairs are common in behavioral health clinics and corrections facilities, the process of getting a resistant subject into the chair is often chaotic and dangerous. Using SafeWrap, the process can be completed with the fewest number of staff members and the lowest probability of injury to all parties involved.
Oftentimes a handcuffed subject needs to be further restrained to prevent them from fleeing the scene, or to facilitate transport. The WrapStrap is a compact and simple device that can be used to temporarily bind the subject’s legs together to prevent escape and/or to greatly simplify the process of placing a resistant subject into a vehicle.
If de-escalation fails, and a staff member is attacked when they are alone, the solo survival skills will help them stay safe until help arrives.
THE WORLD IS WATCHING...
PROVEN UNDER PRESSURE
LAPD on SafeWrap
When it comes to arrest and control tactics, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is recognized as one of the most progressive agencies in the nation. To evaluate whether the SafeWrap system should be implemented department-wide, LAPD’s lead arrest and control instructors participated in an intensive train-the-trainer course.
Here’s what they had to say about SafeWrap…
Expert Medical Analysis
Dr. Gary Vilke, M.D., is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and UCSD professor specializing in prehospital care, cardiac arrest, and in-custody deaths. With over 70 peer-reviewed publications on topics like positional asphyxia, restraint techniques, and excited delirium, Dr. Vilke is a nationally recognized expert in restraint safety.
Watch the video to see how SafeWrap is improving outcomes across a wide range of public and private sector organizations.
"I have had the privilege of testifying as an expert in over 100 cases involving restraint-related deaths. After thoroughly reviewing the SafeWrap restraint system, I found no evidence of adverse effects on either the respiratory or vascular systems during its use. I strongly recommend SafeWrap adoption at any organization where physical restraint is required.”
Gary M. Vilke, M.D., FACEP, FAAEM
Professor Emeritus of Clinical Emergency Medicine
Medical Director, North County Dispatch JPA
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Emergency Medicine Reports
What if She's Pregnant?
When interacting with a pregnant individual, the use of force or physical restraint must be a last resort. Federal, state, and institutional guidelines emphasize that any physical intervention must prioritize both maternal and fetal health, avoiding any technique that could lead to positional asphyxia or abdominal trauma.
The only problem is that no one has proposed a safer alternative to conventional restraint methods, until now…
INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION
SAFEWRAP STANDALONE
(2 Days)
For those seeking a standalone certification, SafeWrap instructor training is available in an intensive 2-day course. This streamlined path is ideal for professionals across all industries who want to gain SafeWrap certification as quickly as possible.
GRACIE SURVIVAL TACTICS
(5 Days)
SafeWrap instructor certification is built into every Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) Level 2 course, making it the ideal path for law enforcement. This integration allows agencies to adopt SafeWrap as part of a complete defensive tactics solution, enhancing safety while reducing liability.
GRACIE MEDICAL DEFENSE
(5 Days)
SafeWrap instructor certification is included in every Gracie Medical Defense (GMD) course, making it the perfect path for healthcare professionals. This all-in-one workplace violence prevention program empowers teams with essential safety tools for verbal and physical de-escalation.
BENEFITS
With SafeWrap certified instructors at your organization, your staff will have access to these benefits:
SafeWrap License
Once certified, organizations may obtain a license to use SafeWrap system to train end-users within the organization.
Online Video Access
Staff members get access to online videos covering all verbal and physical de-escalation skills.
Legal Support
Gracie University will provide expert witness support to certified staff if litigation arises over the use of SafeWrap techniques.
SafeWrap Executive Summary
Discover how SafeWrap can help your organization improve outcomes and reduce liability. Complete the short form below to receive immediate access to our interactive Executive Summary. Share it with your team to spark informed discussions and drive better decision-making.
What’s included in this free download:
- Full Curriculum Outline
- Testimonials & Use Cases
- Bonus Videos & Information
- Frequently Asked Questions
- End-User Training & More!
FAQs
What is the SafeWrap system?
SafeWrap is a proprietary system of 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 minimize compression of the diaphragm to facilitate breathing and reduce the potential of a panicked response in the restrained individual.
How does SafeWrap licensing work?
The SafeWrap system is patent pending worldwide and requires a license for institutional use. The benefit of the license is that it allows Gracie University to stipulate the terms of the system’s use, particularly as it pertains to minimum training requirements, to ensure that end-users are sufficiently trained in the system.
Gracie University is actively gathering data on this groundbreaking system’s effectiveness. For this reason, there is currently no cost for “early adopter” military, law enforcement, and first responder organizations to acquire a SafeWrap license provided certain requirements are met:
Instructor Requirements
The organization must ensure that all SafeWrap training is conducted by an actively certified SafeWrap instructor.
Minimum Training Requirements
To ensure that the end-users achieve optimal proficiency in the system’s application, the organization must adhere to the minimum SafeWrap training requirements (4-8 hours per year).
Refresher Video Requirements
To maximize retention, each end-user is required to watch a short SafeWrap refresher video (approx. 15-minutes) once every three months. 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.
Data & Record-Keeping Requirements
The organization must keep accurate and detailed records regarding SafeWrap uses in the field and be willing to share these records with Gracie University upon request (provided agency policy permits the sharing of such records).
Once we gather sufficient data on the system’s effectiveness, the opportunity onboard at no cost will end. However, as a token of gratitude, all the agencies that onboard as “early adopters” will have opportunity to extend their free licenses, even after the early adopter free onboarding period has ended.
If a licensed agency 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), provided the agency has active license in place and is in compliance with the terms of the licensing agreement.
To receive a copy of the complete licensing agreement for review and consideration by your organization, please submit the SafeWrap licensing inquiry. The inquiry is non-binding and only meant to provide you with additional information regarding the SafeWrap licensing requirements.
If your organization falls outside of the military/law enforcement/first responder category, please use the same licensing inquiry below to tell us more about your institution and one of our team members will respond with a customized proposal.”
How is the SafeWrap system different than other methods of restraint?
The SafeWrap system enables its users to restrain a subject in the lateral recumbent position. Using a series of new processes, body positions, and grip configurations, applied simultaneously by two people, not only are the system users able to reduce the likelihood of injury and escape, but they are also able to laterally transition into the application of restraint devices (i.e. handcuffs, four-point restraints, or other) using the newly invented processes.
Why did Gracie University patent the SafeWrap lateral restraint system?
By applying for intellectual property protection of the SafeWrap system, Gracie University can mandate minimum annual training requirements under license. This is particularly important in industries and organizations where staff members are severely undertrained to handle the violent physical encounters they often face in the course of their work.
How do the SafeWrap intellectual property rights affect the practice of martial arts?
The intellectual property (IP) rights associated with the SafeWrap system do not affect the personal practice of martial arts in any way, whatsoever.
Gracie University makes no claim to the Twisting Arm Control (aka “Gift Wrap”) position commonly used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), nor does it make any claim to any leg entanglements (aka “leg laces”) that are commonly used in grappling sports.
The IP rights afforded to Gracie University extend exclusively to the novel and inventive processes and components of the SafeWrap system with the objective of restraining an individual who poses a threat to themselves or others.
Furthermore, since the SafeWrap must be applied by at least two people against a single subject, there is no possibility that anyone engaging in regular 1-on-1 martial arts practice, BJJ or other, would be able to infringe on the IP associated with the SafeWrap system.
How does SafeWrap affect the use of existing 2-on-1 restraints?
It does not. The IP rights associated with the SafeWrap system will have no effect on any processes or methods of subject restraint that existed prior to the creation of the SafeWrap system.
Any institution that has a method (or methods) of restraint, 2-on-1 or other, which they previously used or had success with, may continue to use those methods without any concern, whatsoever.
An institution only needs to obtain a SafeWrap license if it is specifically interested in adopting the SafeWrap system for the safety of its staff members and the people with whom they interact.
Unlike many existing restraint methods which are only reliable on the ground, the SafeWrap system is equally reliable whether the subject is on the ground or an elevated surface like a hospital stretcher, and it also has applications in other environments, including, but not limited to, seated applications.
Will Gracie University provide expert witness support if an organization is called into litigation surrounding SafeWrap system's application?
Yes. If a licensed agency 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), provided the agency has active license in place and is in compliance with the terms of the licensing agreement.
Do intellectual property laws permit the patenting of a physical process of restraint?
Although it may be relatively unknown in some circles, US Patent and Trademark law provides intellectual property protection for any new and useful improvements in four key categories:
- Process – “an act, or series of acts or steps”
- Machine – “a concrete thing, consisting of parts, or of certain devices and combination of devices”
- Manufacture – “an article produced from raw or prepared materials by giving these materials new forms, qualities, properties, or combinations, whether by hand labor or by machinery”
- Composition of Matter – “all compositions of two or more substances and all composite articles, whether they be the results of chemical union, or of mechanical mixture, or whether they be gases, fluids, powders or solids, for example
There have been countless patents granted for physical processes, and the SafeWrap lateral restraint system meets all the published requirements for such protection.
We are very proud to have created a new process of 2-on-1 restraint that will save lives all over the world; and we are grateful to live in a country where innovation is the bedrock of progress.
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