VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — By now, you've probably seen body camera footage released last week showing three former Virginia Beach sheriff's deputies trying to remove a restraint called the WRAP from 34-year-old Rolin Hill.
In the video, at least one deputy can be seen punching Hill in the head, while another deputy puts their knee around Hill's head area as they attempt to remove the restraint.
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The WRAP is a restraint first used by the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) in 2019 but has been utilized by law enforcement agencies nationwide for years.
When Hill was arrested by VBPD in June for trespassing at a 7-Eleven, prosecutors said he was placed into a WRAP because of his behavior before being taken to jail.
Hill later died, and the former deputies are now charged in connection with his death.
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News 3 contacted the VBPD to see if they could answer what the WRAP is and when it is used.
"Someone who is being overly aggressive, spitting, kicking, punching, things like that," John Scamordella, defensive tactics coordinator with VBPD, said. "Once they are already in police custody this is an advance layer that we can use to restrict their movement and keep them safe."
Scamordella showed News 3 the process officers go through when using the WRAP by demonstrating it to News 3 reporter John Hood.
For VBPD, the WRAP is stored in a duffle bag that has handcuffs, a velcro restraint that goes around your ankles, a padded helmet, and a leg restraint.
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Scamordella said when the device is used, multiple officers are assisting.
From Hood's experience, he said there was no pressure around his chest and only felt discomfort around his ankles.
The officers were also able to remove the restraint in just a few seconds using a pin.
Hood asked Scamordella how long someone stays in the WRAP once they are taken to jail and given to deputies.
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"So it's on a case by case basis if they are still in a state where they cannot be taken out of the WRAP then they would be kept in the WRAP while they are in jail in front of the magistrate," Scamordella said.
Scamordella said when the WRAP needs to be used a supervisor is called out to give approval and training is done yearly for police officers.
"I tell people when we do our training, I have a school of people who are doing it well and we're going to keep doing it until everybody does it excellent," Scamordella said.
Regarding the case surrounding Hill's death, one of the defense attorneys in court last week said the WRAP is a police device and deputies are not in charge or trained to remove it.
They also claimed Hill was still able to thrash and bite as the WRAP was being removed.
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News 3 reached out to the sheriff's office for more information on deputy training but they could not grant an interview on the matter at this time.
According to VBPD policy when a suspect is in a WRAP, personnel at the jail must be notified as soon as possible.
It goes on to say that deputies help officers remove the WRAP before putting other restraints on.
