ICE Plans Electric Shock Gloves
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to equip its officers with gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice that outlines spending of up to $20 million to acquire thousands of the devices by March.
The equipment, known as the G.L.O.V.E. – Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter – is manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky, and has already been adopted by some jails and police departments. A notice published on Monday indicated that a solicitation for a no-bid contract could appear as early as Friday. The Department of Homeland Security said it was preparing a response to inquiries but offered no immediate comment, while the company’s founder and chief executive declined to discuss the matter.
The gloves function as ordinary patrol wear until an officer activates a switch that enables an electrical mode. When applied directly to a person’s skin, they deliver a sharp pain stimulus intended to secure compliance within seconds. Company materials describe the sensation as immediate and comparable to a bee sting.
Supporters, including John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, who is studying the device’s use, say it can help smaller, older or less physically strong officers achieve faster takedowns and shorten confrontations, particularly when removing uncooperative individuals from vehicles, residences or detention facilities. Peters noted that the planned ICE purchase would likely be the largest the manufacturer has received to date.
The manufacturer cautions that the devices should not be employed as punishment, against people showing only verbal defiance, or on high-risk groups such as children, pregnant women, the elderly or people with disabilities. Officers must complete training and undergo recertification every two years. Peters acknowledged that a small number of users might misuse the technology, as occurs with other policing tools, but said injuries are unlikely if robust policies and training are in place.
Civil rights advocates reacted with strong concern. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that the public should have little confidence ICE officers would use the devices appropriately, pointing to existing criticism of the agency’s use of force and limited accountability during immigration enforcement operations.
Borchetta questioned the necessity of such tools for civil immigration work and noted that individuals subjected to the shocks might receive no advance warning. “ICE spent the last year showing this country they are too quick to use force. Now they will be able to deploy electric shocks with the slight push of a button that maybe nobody else can see them do,” she said. “Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public.”
