ICE awards $16.7M contract for 6K pairs of electric ‘shock gloves’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved ahead with a multi-million purchase of electrically charged “shock gloves,” expanding the agency’s tools for dealing with people who resist officers.

ICE awarded Compliant Technologies LLC a $16.7 million contract for 6,000 pairs of the gloves, which are designed to deliver an electric shock when an activated glove touches bare skin. The purchase was made without a competitive bidding process, according to federal contracting records reported by The Associated Press.

The gloves, which are made by Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC, are known as G.L.O.V.E.s, or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters. They function as ordinary patrol gloves until an officer activates an electrical mode. The device must make direct contact with a person’s skin to deliver a shock intended to gain compliance.

ICE said officers will use the gloves as de-escalation devices during arrests, detainee transports, and disturbances around detention facilities when a person is actively or passively resisting.

The contract is expected to provide the devices to ICE officers and agents by March.

Supporters of the technology have said it gives officers a lower-impact option than more serious or lethal force and can shorten confrontations. The manufacturer says users must complete training and be recertified every two years.

Civil rights advocates and some Democratic lawmakers, however, have raised concerns about the devices’ potential misuse and whether ICE officers will receive adequate oversight and training.

The American Civil Liberties Union has questioned the need for shock-delivering gloves in civil immigration enforcement, arguing the devices could be used with little public visibility.

The manufacturer warned against using the gloves as punishment, against people who are only verbally defiant, or on children, pregnant women, elderly people, and individuals with disabilities.