ICE Shock Gloves Plan Draws Outrage    08/13 06:22

   

   (AP) -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement's plan to give officers gloves 
that deliver painful electric shocks faced criticism Wednesday from Democratic 
elected officials and civil rights advocates, who called it unnecessary and 
cruel.

   ICE plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million to outfit officers 
and agents with "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices," according 
to a notice published Monday and revealed first by The Associated Press.

   The devices known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output 
Voltage Emitter, are normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to 
activate its electrical mode. They must be applied directly to someone's skin 
to produce a voltage that causes pain, which is intended to gain compliance 
from people who are resisting. Unlike Tasers, they do not leave burn or contact 
marks.

   New York AG says she is 'outraged' by plan

   The size of the purchase suggests ICE plans to give the device to most or 
all of its officers. The gloves have been used by local departments more often 
in jails than in the streets, where ICE officers have increasingly used force 
to extract people from cars and faced protests over their actions carrying out 
President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

   "We are outraged," New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a news 
conference Wednesday, where she warned that ICE officers who misuse the gloves 
in her state could face criminal and civil consequences.

   The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, issued a statement 
that did not mention the product specifically or explain why it had been chosen.

   "ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to 
ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove 
criminal illegal aliens from our country," the statement said. "Every decision 
is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that 
any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement 
policies and standards."

   Lawsuit alleges shocks from gloves contributed to man's death

   While the devices are marketed as nonlethal and safe for the heart, a 
pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after he was shocked 27 
times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a jail in Richmond, 
Kentucky. An internal investigation found two of the glove shocks lasted 45 and 
99 seconds apiece -- far more than the manufacturer's recommended 15-second 
limit.

   "These actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain but also heightened the 
risk of serious health complications," the investigation by the Madison County 
Detention Center found, according to court documents.

   An Associated Press review found two other lawsuits alleging injuries from 
the gloves, including a man with heart problems who was shocked at a Las Vegas 
trade show and a defendant who said he was laughed at after he was 
unnecessarily shocked in court. Both cases have been dismissed.

   Several Democrats in Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Maxwell 
Frost and Delia Ramirez, said on social media that ICE did not need another 
weapon.

   "This won't make anyone safer and in fact just gives ICE another dangerous 
tool to target citizens and immigrants alike," Jayapal wrote on X.

   Former ICE leader, law professor worry gloves will be misused

   The manufacturer warns the devices should not be used against some 
populations that ICE agents routinely encounter: the elderly, small children, 
pregnant women and the severely handicapped. The device's user manual also 
warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, 
torture or horseplay.

   "It's too easy for this to get misused, against a population that doesn't 
pose a threat," former ICE acting director John Sandweg said Wednesday in an 
interview on MS NOW.

   The maker of the Taser recently phased out its drive-stun feature, a similar 
pain compliance tool that had been misused by some officers.

   Michael Mannheimer, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University who has 
written about police use-of-force and issues in federal law enforcement 
operations, agreed the gloves raised concerns about officers using 
disproportionate force.

   "One concern I would have is if ICE agents have this at their immediate 
disposal, will they use it more than they should? Will they jump over lesser 
force that could be appropriate and successful to attain compliance and instead 
use this first?" he said.

   The notice published in a DHS database indicated the solicitation for a 
no-bid contract to purchase the gloves could be released as early as Friday, 
and the contract would last through March 31, 2027. The founder of Compliant 
Technologies LLC, which manufactures the gloves, declined comment.