United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks. The agency says the devices would be used by officers to control detainees and protesters who resist during arrests or other high-tension situations.
The contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process to Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky-based company that manufactures the devices. The agreement includes the gloves, support equipment and related services over the next six months.
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The purchase has generated strong criticism from civil rights organizations and Democratic lawmakers, who questioned whether ICE would have sufficient oversight and training to prevent misuse. Sixteen Democratic senators, led by Catherine Cortez Masto, urged the agency to reconsider the acquisition.
How would the gloves be used?
ICE says officers could deploy them when someone actively or passively resists, during arrests, while transporting combative detainees or in civil disturbances. The agency argues that the devices could help avoid more severe forms of force.
However, the controversy continues as questions remain about training, accountability and the circumstances under which officers would be authorized to activate the electrical function.
