ICE agents could soon use gloves that give painful electric shocks

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents might soon employ gloves capable of administering painful electric shocks to anyone they come into contact with. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this plan in a recent notice, with the devices set to be distributed by the end of March next year. These shock gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., are manufactured by Kentucky-based company Compliant Technologies, which markets them as Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Devices (CD3).

The G.L.O.V.E. devices are not considered weapons; instead, they emit small, non-injurious electrical pulses directly onto the skin, the body's most conductive surface. According to Compliant Technologies, the gloves deliver a pain stimulus strictly to the area of the skin they touch, overstimulating and disrupting signals in the nervous system.

This overwhelming and overloading of the brain causes a person to instinctively try to retreat. This intense effect disrupts normal thought processes and interferes with expected reactions, leading most subjects to effectively comply or concede in order to end the effects.

The DHS plans to purchase up to $20 million worth of G.L.O.V.E. devices, with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations divisions set to receive them. The DHS specifically favors the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E. model, which can output around 324-362 volts (up to 380) at 700-1200mA when in contact with a person. For comparison, Axon Enterprise's TASER 10 delivers a similar output.