5 days ago
ICE Awards $16.7 Million Contract for Electric Shock Gloves
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, plans to buy 6,000 pairs of special gloves.
The gloves can give a person a painful electric shock when an officer presses a button.
ICE says officers may use them when people resist arrest, fight during transport or take part in disturbances.
The agency says the gloves could help officers gain control and avoid using more serious force, such as firearms.
The gloves are being purchased from a Kentucky company through a contract worth $16.7 million.
Civil rights groups worry the devices could cause harm if officers use them improperly.
Democratic senators also questioned whether ICE has enough rules, training and oversight.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the gloves as safety equipment for federal officers.
ICE awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract for 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves.
The Kentucky-based supplier, Compliant Technologies LLC, will provide equipment, support and services over six months.
ICE says officers could use the gloves during arrests, detainee transport and civil disturbances to gain control and avoid more severe force.
The gloves deliver a painful shock when an officer activates them and applies them directly to a person’s skin.
Civil rights advocates and Democratic senators opposed the purchase, citing risks of misuse and inadequate oversight.
- Who
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, Compliant Technologies LLC, civil rights advocates and Democratic senators led by Catherine Cortez Masto.
- What
- ICE awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract for 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves, plus support equipment and services.
- Where
- The gloves are intended for use during arrests, detainee transport and civil disturbances outside detention facilities in the United States.
- When
- The contract notice was published on a Thursday; the equipment and services are to be acquired over the next six months.
- Why
- ICE says the gloves could help officers control resistance, prevent injuries, aggression or escape, assist with handcuffing and avoid more severe force.
Critics and Democratic Senators
ICE and Homeland Security
Need for the gloves
Critics and Democratic Senators
Critics question whether ICE needs the devices and say the agency’s record on force and accountability raises concerns about its ability to deploy them safely.
ICE and Homeland Security
ICE says the gloves would help officers quickly control people who resist, prevent injuries and stop aggression or escape attempts.
Risk of misuse
Critics and Democratic Senators
The American Civil Liberties Union and senators warn that the gloves could cause unjustified harm, particularly during civil arrests, without clear limits and comprehensive oversight.
ICE and Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security describes the gloves as safety equipment and says they would be used under approved policies, training and accountability standards.
Transparency and oversight
Critics and Democratic Senators
Democratic senators want ICE to publicly explain officer training and how glove use will be documented and reviewed to prevent misuse.
ICE and Homeland Security
ICE proceeded with the purchase, but its notice did not provide further details about those training and review procedures.
Key facts
- Contract value
- $16.7 million
- Quantity
- 6,000 pairs of gloves
- Supplier
- Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky-based company
- Contract type
- No-bid contract
- Planned uses
- Arrests, transporting combative detainees and responding to civil disturbances
- Device operation
- An officer activates the electrical mode with a button; the glove must contact a person’s skin to deliver a shock
- Acquisition period
- Six months
Quotes
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
ICE’s parent agency, which defended the purchase in a statement.
“Sanctuary politicians attempting to ban our federal law enforcement from any safety equipment is despicable and a deliberate attempt to undermine and endanger our officers.”
NDTV
“a Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device which will be issued to Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations officers and agents.”
firstpost.com
Catherine Cortez Masto and 15 Democratic senators
U.S. senators who urged ICE to cancel the purchase and questioned its ability to safely deploy the devices.
“The blatant and tragic misuse of force in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Maine, and other locations around the country raises significant skepticism about the agency’s professional capability to safely deploy a new tool that could be used to harm Americans without cause.”
NDTV
ICE procurement notice
Official ICE notice describing the intended circumstances for using the gloves.
“It will be used when a subject is actively or passively resisting and an officer needs to gain control quickly to prevent injuries to both parties.”
NDTV
Sources
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