ICE to Acquire Electric Shock Gloves for Officer Use
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to purchase thousands of electrically charged gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., to aid officers in subduing resistant individuals, prompting criticism from civil-rights groups.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to spend up to $20 million to acquire thousands of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" by March. The gloves, called G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) and produced by Compliant Technologies of Lexington, Kentucky, deliver a brief electric shock when a switch is pressed and the gloves are pressed against a person’s skin.
The agency’s notice indicated that a no-bid contract could be issued as early as Friday. Compliant Technologies describes the device as a normal patrol glove that can provide an "immediate and sharp" stimulus, likened by the company to a bee sting, to gain compliance within seconds. The manufacturer advises against use as punishment or on vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, the elderly or disabled.
Civil-rights advocates expressed concern about the procurement. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU, said the public should not assume ICE officers will use the gloves appropriately and questioned the necessity of the devices for civil immigration enforcement. > "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.
John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, acknowledged the tool’s potential to help officers subdue resistant subjects but warned that misuse could occur, as with other policing technologies. He noted that officers would need to complete a training course and be recertified every two years.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the plan when approached by the Associated Press, and Compliant Technologies’ CEO Jeff Niklaus said the company could not speak on the subject.