ICE plans to equip officers with electric shock gloves

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to provide officers with electric shock gloves, according to recent reports. These gloves, manufactured by Compliant Technologies in Kentucky, deliver painful electric shocks and are marketed as nonlethal. However, the devices come with a warning that they should not be used on the elderly, small children, pregnant women, or individuals with disabilities.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has cautioned that misuse of these gloves by ICE officers in her state could result in criminal and civil consequences. The gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, have been utilized by local police departments nationwide, particularly in prisons.

When activated, the gloves must be directly applied to someone's skin to produce the voltage, causing pain intended to facilitate compliance. The devices are claimed to enable officers to de-escalate tense situations swiftly and effectively, minimizing the risk of injury for both officers and civilians. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential for abuse.

A lawsuit alleges that a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after being shocked 27 times with the gloves, while an internal investigation found that two of the shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds, exceeding the manufacturer's recommended 15-second limit. Despite being marketed as nonlethal, the gloves have been the subject of multiple lawsuits alleging injuries.

Former ICE acting director John Sandweg has expressed alarm over the high potential for abuse, questioning whether officers might resort to using this level of force more frequently. Michael Mannheimer, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University, concurred, cautioning that the availability of such forceful tools might lead officers to bypass less severe methods of achieving compliance.