The Department of Homeland Security published a notice Monday stating it plans to purchase the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E. — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents working on immigration enforcement and criminal investigations, in a contract that could be worth up to $20 million and completed by the end of March.
DHS Plans Up to $20 Million Purchase of Electric-Shock Gloves for ICE Officers
The Department of Homeland Security published a notice Monday stating it plans to purchase the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E. — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents working on immigration enforcement and criminal investigations, in a contract that could be worth up to $20 million and completed by the end of March.
The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company. According to a user manual, the technology can inhibit 'the subject from performing coordinated muscle movement.' The company says the device emits a lower voltage than a Taser, too low to work through dry clothing or hair, and can be activated in about a second with the press of a button.
The company describes the gloves as a de-escalation tool and says its products 'empower officers to de-escalate tense situations quickly.' The G.L.O.V.E. was deliberately designed to be what the company calls 'low-optics,' meaning it resembles a regular glove.
Chief Adam Glueck of the Cape Girardeau Police Department in Missouri, which uses the gloves, said in a video on the Compliant Technologies website that he was initially skeptical but was persuaded after a demonstration in which the glove was used on him. 'As soon as you put it on my arm, I was absolutely convinced,' Glueck said. 'I went straight down to the mat. I didn't think about anything other than I wanted that pain to stop.' He also said the glove 'looks better on video' than other types of force.
The G.L.O.V.E. is described as relatively new and not widely adopted by police departments. Testimonials on the company's website suggest it has been used more in jails than by patrol officers. Some policing experts had not heard of the device before news of the ICE contract was reported.
DHS said it did not answer questions about how the gloves would be used — for instance, whether during immigration apprehensions or encounters with protesters. In a statement, the department said: 'ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,' adding that any technology ICE uses is 'consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards.'
ICE has faced criticism for its conduct since President Donald Trump returned to office, including the deployment of pepper spray against protesters, dragging people from vehicles, and the fatal shooting of at least six people. The agency is carrying out Trump's mass deportation campaign.
The planned purchase is part of broader congressional funding for Trump's deportation campaign. That funding has allowed ICE to hire more than 12,000 additional officers and acquire new technology, including facial recognition tools.
After a lawsuit in Kentucky involving the G.L.O.V.E. system, company founder Jeff Niklaus blamed inadequate training for the treatment of the plaintiff and said no injuries had been caused by the gloves. Niklaus declined to comment for this article. The Associated Press previously reported on the DHS procurement notice.
- The source does not specify which former ICE officials expressed concern or detail their stated reasoning beyond general unease about use-of-force implications.
- The specific terms or outcome of the Kentucky lawsuit involving the G.L.O.V.E. system are not described.
- The source does not state how many law enforcement agencies currently use the G.L.O.V.E. or provide data on incidents involving its use.
- The source does not clarify whether Congress approved the $20 million specifically for this purchase or as part of broader ICE funding.
- The source does not indicate whether any independent safety or efficacy testing of the G.L.O.V.E. has been conducted.
- The policing experts who had not heard of the device are not identified or quoted.
Read the original at The Straits Times