ICE Plans to Equip Officers With Electric Shock Gloves to Subdue Combative Suspects
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to equip officers with specialized gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks, giving agents another non-lethal option for quickly gaining control of combative individuals.
ICE plans to spend up to $20 million purchasing thousands of the devices by March, according to a Department of Homeland Security procurement notice. The equipment is officially described as a “conductive distraction and de-escalation device.”
Known as the G.L.O.V.E., short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, the technology is manufactured by Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies. Similar devices have already been used by some police departments and correctional facilities.
The equipment functions like an ordinary pair of patrol gloves until an officer activates the electrical feature using a switch. Once activated, direct contact with a person’s skin produces an immediate pain stimulus designed to gain compliance within seconds.
John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, compared the sensation to a “bee sting.” He said the sharp pain can immediately distract a resisting individual and potentially allow officers to end physical confrontations more quickly.
Peters said the technology could be particularly useful for officers attempting to remove combative individuals from vehicles, homes or detention facilities. He also suggested the gloves could provide an advantage to smaller, older or physically weaker officers by allowing them to gain control without engaging in prolonged physical struggles.
The manufacturer maintains that the technology is designed as a compliance tool rather than a punishment device. Officers are warned against using the electrical feature simply because someone is verbally defiant or belligerent, and restrictions discourage its use against vulnerable groups including children, pregnant women, elderly people and people with disabilities.
Officers who use the devices must complete specialized training and receive recertification every two years. Supporters argue those requirements, combined with department policies, can help ensure the gloves are used only when officers encounter legitimate physical resistance.
Civil liberties groups have criticized the planned purchase, arguing that the devices could be abused because an officer can activate them discreetly. They have also questioned whether electric shock technology is appropriate during civil immigration enforcement operations.
ICE’s planned acquisition comes as the Trump administration continues expanding immigration enforcement operations across the country. Agents are increasingly encountering individuals who refuse to cooperate with arrests, creating demand for tools officials believe can resolve confrontations without escalating to more dangerous levels of force.
The proposed purchase could become one of the largest deployments of the G.L.O.V.E. technology to date. If the acquisition proceeds as planned, thousands of ICE officers could have access to the electric shock gloves by next spring, adding a new tool to the agency’s efforts to safely control suspects who physically resist federal immigration enforcement.