ICE equips officers with electric shock gloves for enforcement

Consensus Summary

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is purchasing electric shock gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), at a cost of up to $US20 million ($28 million). These gloves, manufactured by Compliant Technologies in Kentucky, deliver painful electric shocks when applied directly to skin, intended to de-escalate tense situations quickly. Both sources agree the gloves are marketed as nonlethal but warn against use on vulnerable groups like the elderly, children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. ABC reports a 2024 incident where a 43-year-old man died after being shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 times by a taser, with two shocks lasting 45 and 99 seconds, exceeding the recommended 15-second limit. The Guardian notes the gloves are expected to be deployed by March and are effective in compliance within less than three seconds. Concerns about ICE’s use of force, particularly since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2024, have been raised by civil rights advocates and officials.