ICE Plans to Equip Officers With Electric Shock Gloves

ICE is seeking to equip officers with gloves that deliver electric shocks to gain compliance from resistant individuals. A DHS notice published Monday outlines a planned no-bid contract worth up to $20 million.

• $20 million is the ceiling; CBS News reported the range as $10–20 million.
• Thousands of units must be delivered by March, DHS notice states.
• Manufacturer Compliant Technologies LLC is based in Lexington, Kentucky.
• Officers must complete training and recertify every two years to use the device.

Why it matters: The gloves look like standard patrol gloves and activate only when an officer flips a switch; they must contact skin directly to deliver a shock.

• John Peters of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths says the sensation is "like a bee sting" and typically produces compliance within seconds.
• ACLU deputy project director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta says the shock can be delivered with a button press that bystanders may not see, and questions why the tool is needed for civil immigration enforcement.

How 65 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether electric-shock gloves are a measured compliance tool for dangerous encounters or an instrument of abuse that ICE lacks the oversight to use responsibly.

What’s next: A formal contract solicitation could be published as early as Friday, per the DHS notice.

• DHS said Tuesday it was preparing a response but offered no immediate comment.
• Will DHS publish binding use-of-force policies for the gloves before the contract is awarded?
• How many units does ICE plan to procure, and which officer categories will receive them?
• How will compliance with manufacturer restrictions — barring use on children, pregnant women, or the elderly — be enforced in the field?