U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering acquiring thousands of gloves capable of delivering electric shocks upon contact with the skin. According to a Department of Homeland Security notice cited by the Associated Press, ICE could spend up to $20 million on this equipment by March.
Officially presented as "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices," these gloves are designed to compel a recalcitrant person to submit. Already used in some prisons and by a few police departments, they could be put out to tender as early as Friday.
A painful stimulus activated by a button
The device resembles a pair of standard patrol gloves. However, the officer can activate its electrical mode by pressing a button. The glove must then be placed directly against the skin to produce a painful stimulus intended to elicit rapid cooperation.
Known as GLOVE, for "generated low output voltage emitter," the device reportedly causes immediate and intense pain comparable to a bee sting. Its proponents claim that the low voltage used limits the risk of injury.
Civil liberties advocates are worried.
These gloves could be used, among other things, to extract people from vehicles or homes and to move them to detention centers. These possibilities worry civil rights advocates, who fear misuse during ICE arrest operations.
The manufacturer states that the device should never be used to punish a person or to respond to mere verbal aggression. Its use is not recommended on children, pregnant women, the elderly, or people with disabilities. Operators should undergo specific training and renew their certification every two years.
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