ICE to allocate up to $20 million for electric shock gloves for agents
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to purchase electrical shock-delivery gloves for its officers, with an estimated cost of $10-$20 million, according to a Department of Homeland Security contract notice.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to acquire a device called the CTG 5 G.L.O.V.E, a wearable glove that can deliver an electrical shock intended to distract and de-escalate confrontations. The agency’s contract notice estimates the purchase could cost between $10 million and $20 million, with delivery slated for March 31, 2027. Details on the quantity to be bought, per-unit cost, and the timeline for fielding the gloves were not disclosed.
The device, marketed by Compliant Technologies LLC, is described in its user manual as a “Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device” that can emit up to 380 volts to inhibit coordinated muscle movement. The manual advises that no more than two gloves be applied to a subject at a time, usage should not exceed 15 seconds, and the gloves must make direct skin contact to be effective. Certified officers would need to recertify every two years.
The procurement has drawn criticism from civil-rights groups. Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, said the proposal “allows a rogue agency to fund new ways to visit cruelty upon our communities.” Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU, warned that the public “should have no confidence that ICE officers will use the devices appropriately” and called the plan “a recipe for harm to the public.”
The Department of Homeland Security and Compliant Technologies did not respond to requests for comment. The agency’s notice indicated that a no-bid contract solicitation could be issued as early as Friday.
"We’re only grabbing enough motor units across the skin to stimulate the peripheral nervous system. Just the sensory portion of that. So, we don’t cause any injury with our device," said Justin Morris, an Oklahoma distributor for Compliant Technologies, referencing prior use of the gloves in a county jail.
"The feeling is immediate and sharp, and it will distract you. I call it like a bee sting," said John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, describing the device’s effect.
Earlier reports indicate similar gloves have been deployed in correctional facilities, with some incidents leading to criminal charges for misuse.