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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to spend up to $20 million on electric-shock gloves is facing criticism from civil rights groups and Democratic officials, with a pending wrongful-death lawsuit in Kentucky raising concerns over the potential misuse of the devices.ICE is preparing to spend between $10 million and $20 million on the gloves, which are designed to deliver an electric shock when pressed against exposed skin. The proposed procurement comes as records and legal claims have raised questions over their use on people in custody.The family of 43-year-old Johnathan Mansfield alleges that officers repeatedly used an electric glove and Tasers on him before he suffered cardiac arrest in 2024. Mansfield later died after being hospitalised.The Fayette County coroner attributed his death to an accidental overdose caused by delayed complications of methamphetamine intoxication. However, his wrongful-death lawsuit cites treating doctors and an internal investigation that linked his cardiac arrest to repeated use of force. The lawsuit remains pending.<\/p>\n Mansfield was taken into custody at the Madison County Detention Center in Richmond, Kentucky, in September 2024 and died the following month.His family’s lawsuit alleges that officers used the electric glove on him 27 times and Tasers another 13 times. An independent Madison County sheriff’s investigation cited by the Lexington Herald-Leader counted 23 uses of the glove, 13 direct-contact Taser shocks and two probe deployments.The differing figures have not been reconciled.An internal investigation found that one application of the glove lasted 99 seconds, more than six times the manufacturer’s recommended 15-second limit.The role of the shocks in Mansfield’s death remains disputed. While the coroner concluded that his death was linked to methamphetamine intoxication, the lawsuit points to medical assessments and the internal investigation to argue that the repeated use of force contributed to his cardiac arrest.Two other lawsuits have also alleged injuries involving the gloves. One involved a man with heart problems who was shocked at a Las Vegas trade show, while another defendant alleged that officers used the device without justification during a court appearance. Both cases were later dismissed.<\/p>\n Critics have raised concerns over giving officers a device that can inflict pain through a concealed button.Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, described the introduction of the device as a “recipe for harm to the public”.Former acting ICE director John Sandweg has also warned that officers could misuse the gloves against people who do not pose a threat.New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was “outraged” by the plan and warned that ICE officers who misuse the devices in her state could face civil or criminal consequences.Democratic representatives Pramila Jayapal, Maxwell Frost and Delia Ramirez have also criticised the proposed purchase.<\/p>\n The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E.s, or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, are manufactured by Compliant Technologies, which describes them as a “conductive distraction and de-escalation device”.The company markets the gloves as a nonlethal law-enforcement tool that can be worn as regular duty gloves and activated when an officer needs to gain compliance.Unlike conventional Tasers, which can fire probes, the gloves must make direct contact with exposed skin to deliver an electrical stimulus.Manufacturer instructions advise against using the device on children, pregnant women and elderly people. They also prohibit using it simply because someone refuses a verbal command or as a form of punishment.The company recommends limiting each application to 15 seconds. It maintains that the device is non-injurious and does not leave visible marks on the skin, and says people with pacemakers or other heart conditions face no additional risk from its use.<\/p>\n The proposed purchase comes amid a broader increase in the use of force at ICE detention facilities.Internal ICE records analysed by The Washington Post documented at least 780 use-of-force incidents during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term. The Post found that 1,330 detainees were subjected to force, 54% more than the previous year, while the population across the 98 facilities studied increased by 45%.The figures cover detention facilities and do not measure force used by ICE field officers during arrests. Many of the facilities are operated by private contractors.ICE rules allow force only when attempts to resolve an incident have failed and prohibit its use as a form of punishment.<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security has defended the broader procurement process but has not explained why ICE selected the shock gloves.DHS said ICE regularly assesses the equipment required by officers to make arrests safely and reviews new technologies for compliance with law-enforcement policies and standards.The proposed devices are intended for personnel with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations units.ICE could seek bids for the contract as early as Friday. The proposed agreement would run through March 31, 2027.<\/div>\nRecords differ over shocks used on Mansfield<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Civil rights groups warn of misuse<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Manufacturer calls gloves nonlethal<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
ICE detention use of force rises<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
DHS defends procurement<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n