Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers may soon be equipped with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks to gain compliance from combative individuals. The plan, which could cost up to $20 million, has raised concerns among civil rights advocates who question the potential misuse of such devices.

Device Details

The gloves, known as the G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky. They have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments. According to the manufacturer, the devices function as a normal pair of patrol gloves until officers press a switch to activate their electrical mode.

The gloves must be applied directly to someone’s skin to deliver a pain stimulus that typically helps an officer gain compliance within seconds. The manufacturer warns that the device should not be used as punishment, against people merely exhibiting verbal defiance or belligerence, or on high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women, or elderly or disabled people.

Concerns and Reactions

Civil rights advocates, including Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, have expressed alarm at the plan. They argue that ICE officers already face criticism for their use of force with little oversight or accountability, and that the introduction of electric shock gloves could lead to further abuses.

Supporters of the devices, such as John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, argue that they can be an effective tool for de-escalation and gaining compliance, particularly in situations where officers may be at risk of physical harm.

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.