ICE to buy electric shock gloves intended to gain compliance from combative individuals

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers could soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver electric shocks to gain compliance from combative individuals, according to an Associated Press exclusive report. 

G.L.O.V.E.

Dig deeper:

The devices are known as G.L.O.V.E. which stands for  Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter.

The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC in Lexington, Kentucky.

Compliant Technologies says 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, according to the company.

ICE to order $20M worth of gloves

ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase thousands of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" for officers and agents by March, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security.

There are already several jails and police departments that use these devices. 

What they're saying:

"If the officer is getting any type of resistance from the person, this is certainly an effective tool," said John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, who is studying how the device has been used. 

The manufacturer warns 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.

To use the device, officers must complete a course and be recertified every two years, the manufacturer says.

Immigration