The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly planning to spend millions to outfit Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents with gloves that can deliver an electric shock to targeted individuals.
The gloves were developed by Compliant Technologies LLC out of Lexington, Kentucky, and have already been deployed by police departments and some jails.
‘If the officer is getting any type of resistance from the person, this is certainly an effective tool.’
A DHS notice published Monday says the agency is seeking to spend $20 million on the shocking gloves.
The devices are named G.L.O.V.E., an acronym for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. The manufacturer says the gloves function normally until the wearer activates the electrical mode. The globe must be in contact directly with the target’s skin, and the shock typically incapacitates the target in seconds.
John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, studied the device and described its effects.
“It’s immediate and sharp, and it will distract you. I call it like a bee sting,” said Peters. “If the officer is getting any type of resistance from the person, this is certainly an effective tool.”
He went on to say the device could be misused but that it is unlikely to cause injuries.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to speak on this subject,” said Compliant Technologies founder Jeff Niklaus in an email about the report.
The manufacturer said officers must complete a course on the gloves and be recertified every two years.
“For smaller officers or weaker officers or older officers, I think it has a great advantage” because it can produce faster takedowns and shorten confrontations,” Peters added.
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Jenn Rolnick Borchetta of the American Civil Liberties Union warned that the gloves could be abused.
“ICE spent the last year showing this country they are too quick to use force. Now they will be able to deploy electric shocks with the slight push of a button that maybe nobody else can see them do,” Borchetta said. “Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public.”
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