The Department of Homeland Security has signaled it may spend up to $20 million on electric-shock gloves for ICE agents, a procurement plan that has alarmed civil liberties groups. A notice released Monday indicates the agency is seeking between $10 million and $20 million for thousands of pairs of the G.L.O.V.E. device, short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, made by Compliant Technologies LLC, a Lexington, Kentucky firm whose products have alrEADy been adopted by certain police departments and detention centers in recent years.
The same notice states a no-bid contract solicitation could be posted as soon as Friday. When reached Tuesday, DHS said it was still preparing a response to questions and had no immediate statement. Jeff Niklaus, who founded and leads Compliant Technologies, declined to comment, telling the AP, “Unfortunately, we are unable to speak on this subject.”
According to the company, the gloves look and function like standard patrol gear until an officer hits a switch to activate the electrical feature. They must touch bare skin to deliver a jolt meant to encourage compliance, typically within seconds. Marketing materials describe the product as a “humane, low-optics, de-escalation solution for many situations facing our men and women in uniform.”
John Peters, who heads the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths and has been tracking the device’s use, called the sensation “immediate and sharp,” likening it to a bee sting. He said the tool works well when officers face any level of resistance. Peters believes the ICE order would likely be the largest single purchase the manufacturer has received. He predicted agents might rely on the gloves to pull uncooperative individuals out of vehicles or homes, or to move them through detention facilities. He also noted the device could level the playing field for officers who are smaller, less physically strong, or older, since it can shorten confrontations and speed up takedowns.
The manufacturer cautions that the gloves are not meant for punishment, nor should they be used on people who are merely “verbally defiant or belligerent.” They are also not recommended for children, pregnant women, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities. Officers must undergo training and renew their certification every two years.
The American Civil Liberties Union was among the groups voicing concern. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, the ACLU’s deputy project director on policing, questioned why such tools would be needed for civil immigration enforcement, pointing out that people subjected to the shocks might not have any warning. She argued that ICE has demonstrated over the past year that it resorts to force too readily, and called the introduction of gloves that can so easily inflict pain “a recipe for harm to the public.”
Backers of the technology counter that it is typically reserved for specific jail and transport scenarios, not routine street patrols. Compliant Technologies says the gloves have been used to control violent suspects who refuse to enter squad cars and to manage inmates who are self-harming or threatening officers. Peters acknowledged that some officers will inevitably misuse the device, as happens with any policing tool, but said serious injuries are unlikely. He stressed that ICE would need strong policies and thorough training.
The proposed purchase comes as ICE intensifies its enforcement push, with the White House pressing for roughly 2,000 arrests per day. The agency has faced criticism over tactics during the recent surge, including attempted vehicle stops in Maine and Texas last month. In both of those incidents, agents were not wearing body cameras. DHS, which already has body-worn cameras, announced last month that going forward at least one officer on every ICE arrest team will be equipped with one.