U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will soon deploy electric shock gloves that have already been used for more than a year by trained supervisors at the Tarrant County Jail.
ICE has awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC for 6,000 gloves, along with support equipment and services. The purchase comes despite concerns from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights organizations about how the devices could be used and what safeguards will govern their deployment.
The gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), look and function like ordinary patrol gloves until an officer activates the electrical mode. The device must make direct contact with exposed skin to deliver a painful electrical shock intended to gain compliance from someone who is resisting.
The G.L.O.V.E. was named an Innovative Product of the Year at the 2019 Global Security Exchange conference.
Tarrant County Already Uses the Gloves
The Tarrant County Jail has used the same technology for more than a year. The gloves are reserved for trained supervisors at the detention facility, which can hold as many as 5,000 inmates. Sheriff Bill Waybourn said the device has been used several times and has successfully gained compliance without injuries to officers or suspects.
“We’ve used it a few times and each time we’ve used it, it’s been completely successful,” Waybourn said, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
After seeing the gloves used at the jail, Waybourn said he believes they can serve a purpose in law enforcement outside a detention facility.
“I think it’s a good tool for all of law enforcement, including ICE,” Waybourn said. “If you have someone that’s noncompliant, you will get them to comply, and it will be over without any serious injuries.”
How ICE Plans To Use the Gloves
ICE procurement documents describe the gloves as “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices.” The agency says the gloves could provide officers with another option when dealing with people who are actively or passively resisting.
The gloves are expected to be used during arrests, while transporting combative detainees, and during civil disturbances near detention facilities. ICE also says they could be used to control people who are attempting to escape, keep an individual’s hands visible for handcuffing, or assist with crowd control.
The agency argues the technology could reduce the need for more severe forms of force, including firearms.
The contract calls for 6,000 gloves as well as equipment and six months of services. Federal records indicate the gloves cost $2,495 each.
The manufacturer’s instructions say users should give a person a reasonable opportunity to comply before using force. The instructions recommend limiting activation to 15 seconds unless circumstances require otherwise and say the device should not be used as punishment.
The manufacturer also advises against using the gloves on elderly people, pregnant women, small children, or people who are severely handicapped.
How the Glove Works
The glove is designed to be worn before or during a law enforcement encounter. When an officer needs to activate it, pressing a button on the upper surface turns on the electrical function, with an illuminated indicator alerting the officer that the device is active.
Conductive electrode pads on the palm make direct contact with a person’s skin. When two pads make contact, the device produces pain compliance and what the manufacturer describes as “neural peripheral interference.” The intended effect is to distract the peripheral nervous system and make coordinated muscle movement more difficult, allowing an officer to gain control.
The primary target areas are the extremities and joints. The manufacturer does not recommend applying the GLOVE to the head, face, throat, or groin except in an escalated situation involving a need to defend someone from serious bodily harm.
Potential Benefits and Drawbacks
According to an independent Police 1 review, the glove can provide a less-lethal option for gaining compliance while allowing officers to transition quickly to other tools. Training and operating costs are relatively low, and the device can be used as a pair or independently by two officers.
The glove makes weapon retention easier because it is worn by the officer, and during testing, no signature marks, redness, or other physical injuries were found on subjects following stimulation. Medical studies have examined the device’s safety and efficacy.
Another claimed advantage is that only the area directly contacted by the electrodes is affected, reducing the likelihood that another officer or bystander would be exposed to the electrical stimulation.
However, the device has limitations. It must be used at close range and requires direct skin contact, making it less practical when a person is wearing heavy clothing or long sleeves. The manufacturer also cautions about using conducted electrical weapons when water is involved.
Because the glove is worn on an officer’s hand, there is also a risk of inadvertent contact if the officer does not realize the device remains activated. The manufacturer further cautions that the glove should supplement, rather than replace, officers’ defensive tactics skills.
The effectiveness can also vary from person to person. Manufacturer information says some individuals may be only mildly affected, although the substantial majority of subjects were affected during the stimulation phase.
Critics Raise Concerns
The purchase has drawn opposition from civil rights advocates and Democratic members of Congress, who have questioned whether ICE has adequate safeguards and oversight for the new use-of-force tool.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and 15 other Democratic senators urged ICE to abandon the purchase. They raised concerns about proportionality, medical safety, constitutional rights, training, and how officers’ use of the gloves would be documented and reviewed. The senators also asked ICE to make its rules and safeguards for deploying the devices public.
Critics have argued that ICE officers already face scrutiny over their use of force and that adding a device capable of inflicting pain could create additional opportunities for misuse.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the purchase, saying ICE needs appropriate equipment to protect officers and safely manage dangerous or resistant encounters.
“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,” a DHS spokesperson said, CBS News reported.
ICE said personnel are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and that any technology used by the agency must comply with applicable law enforcement policies and standards.
The purchase expands the use of a technology that has previously been deployed primarily by local law enforcement agencies and jails, including the Tarrant County Jail.