Officers scream and collapse to the ground: the shock glove in the hands of U.S. immigration authorities
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to equip its officers with advanced gloves capable of delivering electric shocks to people they are attempting to apprehend.
According to plans issued by the Department of Homeland Security this week and reported by U.S. media outlets, the agency could spend up to $20 million on the gloves, which are manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a veteran-owned company based in Kentucky.
How does the glove work?
The device is called GLOVE, an acronym for “Low-Voltage Output Generator.”
When a small button located on the glove’s wrist is pressed, the device delivers an electric shock upon contact with a person’s skin.
The glove resembles an electroshock device, but differs from conventional stun devices in that it has no probes or electrodes that protrude from the device and penetrate the skin.
Testing the glove
Video recordings of demonstrations involving the glove show that it can cause significant pain.
The company’s Instagram page contains footage of police officers undergoing demonstrations with the glove. Several appear to be in pain or scream, while most of them fall to the ground.
The Associated Press was the first to report on ICE’s plans to equip its officers with the technology.
In one video, company founder Jeff Nicholas demonstrates the glove on a member of the Oklahoma County police force. After receiving the shock, the officer screams and falls to the ground, appearing unable to move for several moments while the glove remains in contact with his skin.
The officer later described the sensation in the video as being similar to a “loss of control.”
The company’s website states that the glove provides a way to “quickly and effectively de-escalate tense situations.” It is designed to make arrests easier for officers when a person resists apprehension.
The company says its mission is to provide innovative, non-lethal solutions that help law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, security personnel, and healthcare workers handle dangerous situations with confidence and control.
Kenneth Corey, who spent more than three decades with the New York City Police Department, told National Public Radio that he had personally tested the glove.
He explained: “The glove was used on me. It was painful. All that happened was that someone grabbed my wrist while wearing the glove. I’m a big man, about 1.90 meters tall and weighing around 113 kilograms, yet the shock made my knees tremble.”
Controversy over its use
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has come under intense scrutiny over its use of force, particularly since President Donald Trump’s administration expanded its efforts to deport migrants.
In recent weeks, federal immigration officers have shot several people, some of whom were killed, including two people during the past month.
Against this backdrop, Noreen Shah, director of immigration policy and government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union, questioned whether ICE officers had received adequate training to use technology of this kind, particularly as the agency seeks to hire more than 12,000 employees in less than a year.
Other applications
Although electric-glove technology emerged less than a decade ago, its use has already expanded into a variety of sectors, including schools.
At least one city, Omaha, Nebraska, purchased the devices for its public schools, although it remains unclear whether they are currently being used.
Prisons, detention centers, and several hospitals have also purchased the electric gloves.
According to the company, the technology may also be useful in healthcare, where it could potentially be used to safely manage angry or resistant patients, protect staff, and create a safer and more controlled environment.
Compliant Technologies declined to comment to the radio broadcaster on ICE’s plans.
However, the company states on its website that no documented injuries resulting from the use of the glove have been recorded.
