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ICE plan to spend $20 million on electric-shock gloves draws alarm

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A federal plan to spend as much as $20 million to equip Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with electric-shock gloves is drawing criticism from civil liberties advocates amid questions about the devices’ safety and use.

The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, disclosed plans this month to provide officers with the gloves by March 2027.

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Known as G.L.O.V.E., for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, the device is manufactured by Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies. An officer activates the glove with a button and delivers an electric shock by touching or gripping a person’s exposed skin.

The CT-G5 model operates between 324 and 380 volts. Its manual advises against use on elderly people, small children, pregnant women and people with disabilities.

The American Civil Liberties Union has strongly opposed the plan, raising concerns about ICE training, oversight and how the devices could be used during arrests and inside detention facilities.

DHS said ICE continually evaluates equipment needed to safely perform arrests and that technology used by the agency is reviewed for compliance with law enforcement policies and standards.

The gloves are already used by a limited number of law enforcement agencies. An NPR analysis estimated about 50 police departments in 20 states have adopted the technology.

Their use has also generated controversy. Omaha police recently stopped using the gloves in the city’s public schools after the school superintendent requested their removal. An officer had previously used a glove twice on an aggressive middle school student, according to a police report.

The devices are also involved in a pending wrongful-death lawsuit in Kentucky. The family of Johnathan Mansfield alleges he was shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 times with a Taser while detained in 2024. Mansfield later suffered cardiac arrest and died. The allegations have not been resolved in court.

Supporters of less-lethal technologies argue that, with appropriate training, such devices can help officers control combative individuals while reducing injuries. Critics contend the gloves’ close-contact design and potential for repeated shocks create significant risks of misuse.

Source: The Guardian

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