Keota police officer Doug Conrad recently earned a trademark on a piece of equipment designed to help evacuate officers injured in the line of duty. According to the DAART-Net Industries website, the patent-pending EVAC-STRAP was conceived by Conrad after he took part in tactical classes and it occurred to him there was no practical way to evacuate injured officers. He was inspired to realize his concept after the death of his friend, Sergeant Eric Stein of the Keokuk County Sheriff’s Department, who was killed in the line of duty. He partnered with Washington County officer Kirk Bailey to form DAART-Net Industries, and have since produced working EVAC-STRAPS that have been tested by several law-enforcement groups around the country.

While it’s not yet utilized in live combat, the testing has gone well with several operators giving positive testimonials, and it’s also been endorsed by the National Tactical Officer’s Association. The strap attaches to any type of body armor and is designed to allow two or three people to easily carry an injured officer out of harm’s way, even up or down stairs. For more information, visit Daart-net.com.