Codington County Approves WRAP Restraint System for Jail
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a budgeted purchase of a WRAP Safety Restraint System for the Codington County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center during its meeting Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026.
Following a motion by Commissioner Lee Gabel and a second by Commissioner Tyler McElhany, the board voted to approve the $4,275.24 quote from Safe Restraints Inc. of Diablo, California. According to the quote submitted to the county, the purchase includes one WRAP Safety Restraint System with helmets for $1,595, one WRAP Cart for $2,495, and $185.24 in shipping, along with five-year conditional repair support and full instructor training.
Sheriff Brad Howell told commissioners the system can be used inside the detention center or when transporting violent inmates—such as transports to Yankton—who are attempting to harm themselves or deputies.
Safer Alternative to Restraint Chairs
Howell explained that while the detention center currently uses a restraint chair, the chair carries risks if an inmate manages to tip it over.
"The chair has some fallback issues where it may get in there and they've tipped it over a few times, which can expose a head injury or something like that," Howell said. "So this is a safer setup. It's basically a bunch of seatbelts, per se, that you can kind of restrain somebody, and then there's a little cot that you can set them in afterward so they can’t move around and they can't be violent."
Howell noted the system includes a head restraint to protect the inmate’s head and will be governed by the facility’s existing restraint chair policy. Under that protocol, staff monitor restrained individuals every five to 10 minutes and release a limb every two hours to ensure circulation and movement.
"We don't want to put people in these restraints, but there are times that we have to do this," Howell told the board.
Monitoring Vitals and Future Facility Use
When asked by commissioners whether the system poses any risk of positional asphyxia, Howell said feedback from other law enforcement agencies indicates the WRAP system reduces the physical struggle required to place an agitated inmate into a traditional chair and makes medical monitoring easier.
"From my experiences chatting with other law enforcement agencies, it's a lot easier," Howell said. "It's safer for the staff and even putting them in there. And once they're in there, it's easier to check their vitals for our nursing staff to be able to monitor them versus in that chair that we have."
Howell confirmed the equipment is a budgeted item and will transfer to the county’s new detention facility once completed. While the sheriff’s office will retain its current restraint chair for now as an additional option, Howell noted that most agencies using the WRAP system eventually phase out traditional restraint chairs.
