Police Chiefs Declare: Pre-Escalation Will Define the Future of American Policing

by William Jones / ⠀Featured / June 25, 2025

Over the past month, a quiet but profound shift has begun rippling through U.S. law enforcement circles—and it’s being led not by policymakers, but by police chiefs themselves. In the wake of mass protests and a recent Supreme Court ruling that has expanded officer liability when it comes to use of force tactics, top law enforcement leaders are scrambling to retool and retrain their officers to meet new standards amidst heightened public scrutiny. Their approach, they say, is something fundamentally new: pre-escalation.

Pre-escalation is an emerging policing framework that emphasizes early, proactive intervention before situations spiral into violence or injury. While most tools and tactics, such as deploying a stun-gun on a non-compliant individual, are designed to de-escalate heightened situations, pre-escalation strategies focus on what officers can do to diffuse a situation before it escalates. As America continues to grapple with civil unrest, an ongoing mental health crisis, and violent crime, police agencies are eager to find more innovative policing solutions that keep all parties safer. As a result, companies offering these solutions are seeing a sharp spike in demand.

The New Mandate from the Supreme Court

One major factor contributing to police agencies’ demand for pre-escalation solutions is the recent Barnes v. Felix Supreme Court case, which ruled that officers can now be held accountable not just for the moment they use force, but for the “totality of circumstances” leading up to the moment of force. This means that officers’ decisions, missed cues, or the failure to intervene earlier during an encounter can all be factored into any case where an officer’s use of force is called into question. As a result, departments that fail to adapt to this new standard could face increased litigation, reputational risk, and mounting oversight. The decision has landed at a volatile time. Amid intensified ICE raids that have sparked mass protests across major cities, police departments are once again in the spotlight for how they handle tense, fast-moving public encounters. But unlike previous waves of protest, where police have been focused on de-escalation tactics, this moment is about something more upstream: how to intervene effectively before force becomes inevitable.

What Is Pre-Escalation?

Pre-escalation focuses on the tactical and behavioral window before a threat manifests, or in other words, the brief but critical space between failed commands and active resistance. Within that window, officers are trained not just to react, but to anticipate, assess, and act with minimal harm. One of the most visible tools emerging to meet that need is Wrap Technologies’ BolaWrap 150, a handheld restraint device that, according to the company, creates multi-sensory cognitive disruption by leveraging light, sound, and tactile sensation to expand a pre-escalation period. When deployed, it fires a Kevlar™ tether from up to 25 feet away to safely immobilize individuals without pain or injury. The device has already been adopted by over a thousand agencies worldwide and is becoming a staple of forward-looking departments like Fairfax County Police in Virginia. “The Fairfax County Police Department is dedicated to enhancing responsiveness, prioritizing safety and emphasizing de-escalation,” said Chief Kevin Davis. “Launching BolaWrap department-wide is expected to transform our incident resolution capacity, especially in crisis situations.” The broader system behind the BolaWrap includes WrapTactics, a training platform developed in collaboration with the Force Science Institute. The short-form training program delivers thousands of hours of behavioral science, persuasion, and situational decision-making in one-minute video modules. The idea is simple: train officers where they are, how they learn, and on a timeline that reflects real-world constraints.

Why Traditional Training Is Failing

In studies conducted across multiple U.S. police academies, a study from the Force Science Institute found that the majority of control techniques taught to cadets during training–presented in long-form or “block” format–begin to deteriorate shortly after graduating from academy training. The study showed that even high-performing recruits saw their ability to apply core arrest skills drop below 60% within two weeks of training—rendering those techniques nearly useless in real-world application. And while agencies spend millions annually on recertification, classroom refreshers, and field evaluations, the return on that training is sobering. Traditional training protocols—using block methods without reinforcement or realistic scenario application—is a major reason why communication fails under stress, and force escalates unnecessarily. This is where pre-escalation solutions, such as those from Wrap, offer a functional solution by providing condensed, behaviorally informed, and continuous training, coupled with non-injurious tools that help quell conflict before it erupts.

The Market Is Paying Attention

Investors have taken note of the rising pressure on departments—and the emerging demand for tools that lower legal, political, and operational risk. In the past month, Wrap Technologies (NASDAQ: WRAP), the maker of the BolaWrap saw stocks jump as high as 19% over the past few weeks, following mass protests around the country. Similarly, Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON), maker of Tasers and body cameras, has also seen recent gains. But there is an increasingly stark contrast between the two companies. Axon dominates the de-escalation market—providing accountability and evidence after an incident occurs. Wrap, on the other hand, sits uniquely in the pre-escalation category—aimed at changing the outcome before an incident unfolds.

What Comes Next

Analysts expect that upcoming federal budget allocations, particularly around law enforcement modernization and behavioral health response, could further accelerate this trend towards rethinking how agencies equip and train their officers. This moment isn’t just about technology—it’s about tactics. And in many departments, it’s police chiefs themselves leading the charge. They’re declaring that the rules of engagement have changed—and that agencies must now prepare for the “moment before the moment.” For departments looking to preserve public trust while protecting their officers—and for investors betting on where law enforcement is headed next—pre-escalation may prove to be the blueprint for 21st-century law enforcement.