$20M for Pain: ICE Buys Electric Shock Gloves
ICE Plans to Buy Electric Shock Gloves for Officers: What You Need to Know
What’s Happening?
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency plans to spend up to $20 million (about £15 million) to buy thousands of special gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks. According to a notice published by the Department of Homeland Security, they want to have these gloves ready by March.
Think of it like this: Imagine a regular winter glove, but with a hidden button that can zap someone with electricity when an officer touches them.
What Are These Gloves?
The devices are officially called GLOVE (which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter). They’re made by a company called Compliant Technologies LLC based in Lexington, Kentucky.
Key Features:
- Look like normal patrol gloves until activated
- Must touch bare skin to work
- Deliver a sharp, immediate pain similar to a bee sting
- Designed to gain compliance in under 3 seconds
- Claimed to leave no burns, marks, or scars
How Do They Work?
According to the manufacturer, here’s the step-by-step process:
- Officer wears the gloves like regular patrol gloves
- Officer presses a switch to activate electrical mode
- Officer touches person’s bare skin with the gloves
- Electric shock delivers pain stimulus
- Person typically complies within seconds due to the pain
Important: The gloves don’t work through clothing – they need direct skin contact.
What Does the Manufacturer Say?
Compliant Technologies advertises these gloves as:
- A "humane, low-optics, de-escalation solution"
- Effective for "many situations facing our men and women in uniform"
- Already used in U.S. jails
- A tool that brings people into compliance "in less than three seconds"
The company founder, Jeff Niklaus, declined to comment on this specific purchase.
Expert Perspective
John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, has studied how these devices are used. He describes the sensation:
"It’s immediate and sharp, and it will distract you. I call it like a bee sting. If the officer is getting any type of resistance from the person, this is certainly an effective tool."
Peters believes this ICE purchase would likely be the largest order the company has ever received. He envisions officers using them to:
- Remove uncooperative people from cars
- Move people in and out of houses
- Handle situations in detention facilities
Major Concerns from Civil Rights Advocates
Civil rights groups are very worried about this plan. Here’s why:
The ACLU’s Warning
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) told the Associated Press:
"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. Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public."
Key Concerns:
- Invisible force: The shock button is hidden – no one can see when it’s activated
- History of force: ICE has faced criticism for using too much force during immigration enforcement
- Little oversight: There’s minimal accountability for how officers use force
- Easy to abuse: A "slight push of a button" could deliver "terrible pain" without witnesses
Manufacturer’s Own Warnings
Even the company that makes these gloves says they should NOT be used:
- As punishment
- Against people who are only verbally defiant or belligerent
- On high-risk populations including:
- Children
- Pregnant women
- Elderly people
- Disabled people
Callout: Important Point
The manufacturer explicitly warns against using these gloves on vulnerable populations and for mere verbal non-compliance. Yet ICE plans to use them in immigration enforcement where children, families, and vulnerable individuals are often present.
Summary
| What | ICE plans to buy thousands of electric shock gloves for officers |
|---|---|
| Cost | Up to $20 million (£15 million) |
| Timeline | Ready by March |
| Device Name | GLOVE (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) |
| Manufacturer | Compliant Technologies LLC (Kentucky) |
| How It Works | Hidden switch activates shock; must touch bare skin; causes bee-sting-like pain |
| Claimed Benefit | Compliance in under 3 seconds, no visible marks |
| Expert View | Effective tool for resistance; largest purchase ever for company |
| Major Concern | Invisible force, history of excessive force, risk to vulnerable people, lack of oversight |
| Manufacturer Warning | Don’t use as punishment, on verbal defiance only, or on children/pregnant/elderly/disabled |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are these gloves like Tasers?
Not exactly. Tasers shoot wires from a distance. These gloves require the officer to physically touch the person’s bare skin. Think of it as a "touch-based" pain tool rather than a distance weapon.
2. Do the gloves cause permanent damage?
The manufacturer claims no burns, marks, or scars. However, pain experts and civil rights advocates worry about repeated use, use on vulnerable people, and the psychological impact of invisible electric shocks.
3. Why are civil rights groups so worried?
Three main reasons: (1) The shock is invisible – no one can see when an officer presses the button, (2) ICE has a track record of excessive force with little accountability, and (3) These could be used on children, families, and vulnerable people despite manufacturer warnings.
4. Can these gloves be used through clothing?
No. The manufacturer states the gloves must be applied directly to skin to deliver the pain stimulus. They won’t work through shirts, jackets, or pants.
5. What does "low-optics" mean in the manufacturer’s description?
"Low-optics" means low visibility – the force isn’t obvious to bystanders or cameras. Unlike a baton strike or Taser deployment, a glove shock leaves no visible sign and the activation button is hidden. This is exactly what worries civil rights advocates.