Archive · 28 Aug 2026
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.
- When
- The contract notice was published on a Thursday; the equipment and services are to be acquired over the next six months.
- Where
- The gloves are intended for use during arrests, detainee transport and civil disturbances outside detention facilities in the United States.
- 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.
- 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
