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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could soon be equipped with gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks to control combative individuals.
The agency is planning an investment of up to $20 million to acquire thousands of “distraction and de-escalation conductive devices” to equip its agents by no later than March, according to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released on Monday.
The devices are known as the G.L.O.V.E., an acronym for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, and are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC, a company based in Lexington, Kentucky. The devices have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments.
When consulted by The Associated Press, the DHS indicated it was working on a response and offered no comment. Jeff Niklaus, founder and CEO of Compliant Technologies, wrote in an email: “Unfortunately, we cannot speak on this topic.”
According to the notice, the call for a no-bid contract could be published as early as Friday.
Civil rights advocates expressed alarm regarding the plan, highlighting that ICE agents are already subject to criticism for their use of force or accountability when executing President Donald Trump's immigration offensive.
Compliant Technologies claims the devices function like a normal pair of patrol gloves until agents press a switch to activate their electric mode. According to the company, the gloves must be applied directly to a person's skin to trigger a pain stimulus that, in general, helps an agent control a suspect in a matter of seconds.
“It’s immediate and sharp, and it’s going to distract you. I compare it to a bee sting,” said John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, who studies how the device has been used. “If the officer is getting any kind of resistance, it’s certainly an effective tool.”
Peters believes the ICE's planned purchase would be the largest in the company's history. He added that he could see ICE agents using these devices to help remove people from cars and homes, as well as for transport to and from detention centers.
“I think it’s a great advantage for shorter or weaker or older officers,” because a person can be taken down faster and the duration of a confrontation can be reduced, he explained.
The manufacturer warns that the device should not be used as punishment, against people who are only being “belligerent,” nor on high-risk sectors of the population such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, or people with disabilities.
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy director of the policing project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), maintained that the public should not trust that ICE agents will use the devices appropriately. She questioned whether they are necessary for civil immigration law enforcement and noted that those who receive a shock might not have any prior warning.
“ICE has spent the last year showing this country that it resorts to force too quickly. Now they will be able to deliver electric shocks at the push of a button that perhaps no one else can see them activate,” said Rolnick Borchetta. “Having gloves that can be used so easily to cause terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harming the public.”
Supporters of their use ensure that, generally, the devices are used in specific situations inside prisons and during transports, and not more broadly while patrolling the streets. According to Compliant Technologies, they have been used to subdue violent suspects who refuse to get into patrol cars and inmates who harm themselves and threaten officers.
Peters said he anticipates that a small number of employees will misuse the devices, as happens with other police technologies, but maintained that it is unlikely they will cause injuries. He noted that it would be important for ICE to have robust policies and adequate training.
To use the device, agents must complete a course and be recertified every two years, according to the manufacturer.
[Publicidad]