SafeWrap is a proprietary system of lateral restraint by which two people can effectively and safely subdue an individual.

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 save lives and minimize traumas 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 safely subdue individuals and de-escalate the situation before transitioning into the system's lateral handcuffing procedures without ever relying on prone controls.
• Corrections: For inmates who need to be restrained, corrections officers can use the system to accomplish the task quickly and safely.
• Military: When military members are interacting with civilians, foreign or domestic, the system can be used to take effective control with the lowest level of necessary force.
• First Responders: Firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics can use the system to safely control a person until law enforcement arrives.
• Healthcare: Medical professionals can greatly reduce the risk of injury to all parties when using the system to safely 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 safely 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 safe and compassionate care.
• Security: From arenas to casinos to retail stores, security guards can use the system to safely 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 safely restrain students while also protecting themselves from harm.
• Childcare: The system can be adapted for safe 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.

...and the list goes on.

Any institution that requires its staff members to interact with the public would benefit from certifying its staff in the SafeWrap system, and once all staff members are SafeWrap certified, any two team members are empowered to handle a crisis with confidence, clear communication, composure, and care.

We've tested the SafeWrap system on countless people of all ages, shapes and sizes, from civilians to police officers, from white belts to black belts, from young children to 300lb fully resistant men. When applied by master instructors of the system, not a single person escaped, and not a single person got injured. When applied by first-time users of the system it was exponentially safer and more reliable than any other restraint systems we have ever explored, learned, or taught.

Before SafeWrap, the most common method of 2-on-1 subject restraint was prone restraint, because people always thought that you had to put someone on their stomach in order to get their hands behind their back for handcuffing. But this restraint method has several significant flaws that increase the risk of panic and injury to everyone involved.

Here are the top considerations when comparing the SafeWrap system to prone restraint:

Reduces Asphyxia
Positional asphyxia occurs when an individual's physical position prevents them from breathing adequately. Compression asphyxia occurs when external weight is applied to the torso of an individual, impairing breathing. When two or more people are using their body weight to control an individual in a supine or prone position, the risks of compression asphyxia is at its highest, since the individual cannot expand their lungs easily and naturally. 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 the risk of positional and compression asphyxia.

Reduces Weapon Access
One of the greatest dangers of prone restraint is the individual can reach for their waistband or pocket to retrieve a weapon, as their hands are not visible. When utilizing the lateral restraint position of the SafeWrap system, the users have clear visibility and full 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 users full control of the individual's arms and legs via the lateral restraint position, the individual's ability to "build the house" is greatly reduced, which helps keep everyone safe throughout the encounter.

Reduces Panic
Being forced into prone restraint with the weight of two or more people on your body, will often induce severe panic in the restrained individual. Severe panic impairs the function of the individual's pre-frontal cortex, making voluntary compliance much more challenging to achieve. Since the SafeWrap system restrains individuals in the familiar and humane 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
A significant concern with prone restraint is that it often requires three or more people to be effective in what is often characterized as a "dog pile" on the restrained individual. This escalation of force, including the significant compression on the thoracic region, will often result in serious injuries up to and possibly including the death of the restrained individual. Since the SafeWrap system requires only two people to be deployed safely and effectively – and does not utilize joint locks, choke holds, or pain compliance techniques – it significantly reduces the chance of injury to the absolute minimum. 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
In every use of force there is a risk of injury, but the escalation of force increases these risks. With increased risk of injury, the likelihood of excessive force litigation also increases. When utilizing the SafeWrap system, the effectiveness of the restraint is such that the escalation of force is kept to an absolute minimum. Not only does this reduce the risk of injury to all parties involved, but it also reduces the risk of excessive force litigation.

Facilitates Communication
When prone restraint is used on an individual, it is often chaotic and unpredictable since the restrainers are each operating independently without a plan, and the random positioning of the restrainers makes communication challenging. When all members of an organization are SafeWrap certified, any two members can work as a team to deploy the system. Communication during the encounter is greatly enhanced by the fact that both users 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. When the SafeWrap system is deployed, the restrainers have full visibility of the individual's face which greatly facilitates verbal communication while also allowing the restrainers to assess the restrained individual's non-verbal cues, which are often out of sight and undetectable during face-down prone restraint.

Facilitates Intervention
Law enforcement officers have a "duty to intervene" any time they observe excessive force being used by their colleagues. This can be very difficult for untrained officers who, themselves, may be panicking throughout the interaction. Once a team of two SafeWrap certified officers arrives on the scene of a use-of-force encounter, not only are they capable of restraining an individual with the lowest level of force necessary, they can also intervene if they observe untrained officers using excessive force, with the goal of keeping all parties safe.

Facilitates Handcuffing
Among the few 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 is very difficult to extract their hands for handcuff application. A ground-breaking feature of the SafeWrap system is that it contains the first and only lateral handcuffing procedure, which allows for safe handcuff application without utilizing prone restraint. For healthcare and corrections applications, the SafeWrap system also features the safest and most secure method of applying four-point restraints, whether it be on a stretcher or in a restraint chair. These revolutionary applications of the SafeWrap system will change the concept of safe detention.

Facilitates Aftercare
A significant danger associated to prone restraint is the loss of consciousness due to compression asphyxia or any other stimulus or medical condition (known or unknown). The restrainers are often unaware of the restrained individuals state of consciousness due to them lying face-down. Regardless of the cause of the medical emergency, restrainers should continuously monitor the condition of the individual under restraint. The undetectability of acute medical events, when an individual is in prone restraint, is a significant contributing factor to why so many deaths have resulted from its use. Alternatively, the SafeWrap system, restrains individuals on their side, allowing users 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 Certification & 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 2-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: When staff members don't have a plan, they panic, and when they panic, the risk of injury skyrockets. 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 reducing the risk of injury to civilians and staff members with the SafeWrap system, an organization should expect a reduction in excessive force litigation and worker's compensation claims.
• Improved Public Relations: By avoiding the inflammatory appearance and injurious outcomes often associated with prone restraint, 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.
• Ease of Retention: Unlike 1-on-1 grappling techniques which require weekly practice, the 2-on-1 SafeWrap system can be effectively taught to and retained by staff members in as little as one hands-on training day per year along with periodic review of short SafeWrap instructional videos.
• Effectiveness in the Field: The SafeWrap system is easier and more effective than all previous methods of 2-on-1 restraint, so the observable benefits should be 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.

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.

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 agency 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 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 the number of system users within it. To get a custom quote for your organization, please click here to submit a SafeWrap licensing inquiry.

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.

The inaugural SafeWrap Instructor Certification Program (ICP) will take place on October 7-8, 2024 at Gracie University Headquarters in Torrance, California, and will be taught by Ryron and Rener.

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 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 12-month free SafeWrap licensing term, please submit the free licensing inquiry and someone from our team will reach out real soon.

Submit Licensing Inquiry

Frequently Asked Questions