ICE to equip agents with electric-shock gloves costing up to $20 million
Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to purchase thousands of shock-producing gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., for up to $20 million by March.
A notice from the Department of Homeland Security reveals that Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to spend as much as $20 million on thousands of conductive distraction and de-escalation devices, called G.L.O.V.E. gloves, by March. Produced by Compliant Technologies LLC in Lexington, Kentucky, the gloves function like ordinary patrol gloves until a switch activates a low-output voltage shock meant to gain compliance within seconds.
The agency says officers must complete a training course and be recertified every two years before using the equipment. Civil-rights advocates expressed concern that ICE, already criticized for forceful tactics, could deploy the gloves without clear warning to subjects. The manufacturer cautions against using the devices on children, pregnant women, the elderly, or disabled individuals, and acknowledges a risk of misuse by a minority of users. No comment was provided by DHS on one outlet inquiry, and the company’s CEO declined to discuss the matter further.
Why it matters
The purchase could expand ICE's use of painful force, raising oversight and civil-rights concerns.
In this story