ICE Eyes $20 Million Purchase of Electric-Shock Gloves for Combative Encounters

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering spending up to $20 million on gloves capable of delivering an electric shock through direct skin contact as a tool for gaining rapid compliance from combative individuals.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers could soon be equipped with specialized gloves designed to deliver painful electric shocks during encounters with combative individuals.

The agency plans to spend as much as $20 million on what federal officials describe as “conducive distraction and de-escalation devices,” according to the Associated Press, which cited a Department of Homeland Security notice detailing the proposed purchase.

The equipment is manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC, a Lexington, Kentucky-based company that markets the device under the name G.L.O.V.E., an acronym for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter.

Unlike equipment that must be carried separately, the device is designed to function as an ordinary glove until the electrical feature is activated. Once switched on, it can deliver an electric shock when placed directly against a person’s exposed skin.

According to the manufacturer, that direct-contact requirement allows an officer to use the device at close range against someone who is resisting or behaving combatively. The company says the shock is intended to cause enough pain to gain compliance within seconds.

The technology is not entirely new to law enforcement. Some jails and police agencies are already using the gloves.

ICE’s potential acquisition would significantly expand use of the devices within federal immigration enforcement if the planned purchase moves forward.

The DHS notice describes the gloves as tools intended for distraction and de-escalation, while the manufacturer says their electrical capability remains inactive during ordinary use and is engaged only when an officer chooses to activate it.

The proposed expenditure of up to $20 million would give ICE access to a wearable compliance device that combines the basic function of a conventional law-enforcement glove with the ability to deliver a low-output electrical shock through direct skin contact.