Immigration and Customs Enforcement awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to purchase electric shock gloves to help de-escalate confrontations.
The deal will buy 6,000 pairs of gloves from Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC.
Federal records show ICE signed the contract Wednesday and formally posted the award Thursday.
Dubbed the G.L.O.V.E., or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, it’s meant not as a weapon, the company says, but as a device used to distract with small, uncomfortable electrical pulses to bring people into compliance in less than three seconds.
An “invisible partner” to law enforcement, as the company described it, it looks like a standard patrol glove until an officer flips a switch on the wrist to deliver up to 380 volts of electrical pulses upon skin contact to disrupt muscle movement.
The Department of Homeland Security intends to use the gloves to support “de-escalation objectives, reduce reliance on higher levels of force where appropriate, and enhance officer and public safety when used in accordance with approved policy, training, and accountability standards,” according to the contract.
The agency said ICE requires a “low-impact tool for its officers and agents to utilize in cases where an individual is resisting arrest or otherwise represents a clear threat to officers and agents.”
The gloves will be used when a subject is “actively or passively resisting” and an officer must gain control quickly to prevent injuries to both parties, the contract reads.
“This technology is vital to meeting mission demands, ensuring officer safety, and achieving the President’s public safety and immigration enforcement priorities,” it says.
No other company in the market can provide the same type of technology as Compliant Technologies, according to the contract.
“Compliant Technologies LLC GLOVE devices give officers/agents an alternative to subdue a potential threat before the need to use their duty weapon,” it reads. “The health and safety of ICE officers/agents in the field would be at a higher risk if not approved.”
The six-month deal includes the gloves — costing $2,495 apiece — support equipment and services.
ICE officers must complete training and recertification every two years for the gloves, according to a notice published this month.
The notice was published hours after a coalition of 16 senators led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada urged ICE to cancel its plan to purchase the electric-shock gloves.
They questioned the necessity of the tools and expressed strong skepticism regarding the agency’s ability to deploy them safely, citing past instances of excessive force and a lack of clear oversight or training.
“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,” the letter reads.
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