Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will soon acquire gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks to individuals who resist or fight back.
These devices are known as GLOVEs (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters) and function similarly to Tasers. An individual will be shocked if they pose a physical threat to an officer or choose to be combative instead of complying.
“ICE plans to spend up to $20 million by March to buy thousands of ‘conducted distraction and de-escalation devices’ for their officers and investigators,” a report indicates.
“According to Compliance Technologies, the device operates as a standard patrol glove until an officer activates the electric mode,” the report states. “Officers typically need to apply the gloves directly to the person’s skin to deliver the painful stimulus that encourages compliance almost instantly.”
“It’s immediate, it’s sharp, it’s distracting. I liken it to a bee sting,” John Peters, who has researched the device, mentioned. “It’s definitely an effective tool during situations where the officer faces resistance.”
“I think this will significantly benefit smaller or older officers,” he added.
Of course, those against ICE are also critical of the gloves, which makes sense. If ICE officers can use electric shocks (like Tasers) to handle confrontations, it offers a non-lethal alternative. Yet, there seems to be a sentiment among some opponents of illegal immigration that a higher number of fatal incidents might help their political agendas. It raises questions about how much they truly care about the lives involved.
This is reflected in the heightened animosity directed at ICE from certain Democratic circles and some media outlets. They seem to thrive on conflict, maybe even tragedy.
An ACLU spokesperson remarked, “ICE has indicated over the past year that this country is too quick to use force. Now, with just the push of a button, they can deliver an electric shock, but this likely won’t be transparent to the public. Implementing gloves that can easily inflict severe pain will endanger civilians.”
Viewing police cam footage reveals that Tasers often help to swiftly de-escalate potentially violent encounters. So, it’s apparent that while these gloves may not have prevented the tragic loss from someone like Renee Goode, who drove at an ICE officer and was shot, they could potentially have saved someone like Alex Preti, an anti-ICE activist who was killed while resisting arrest.
One needs to consider that there might be political motivations at play—advocating for a demographic shift in America could be perceived as a strategy for retaining power, possibly by neutralizing votes. Understanding this might shed light on why there’s opposition to ICE deportations and the number of individuals resisting arrest or losing their lives during protests. Reducing fatalities would complicate such narratives.
These gloves seem to offer a more practical and safer approach than Tasers, which require aiming and firing like a gun, which can be tricky in close quarters.
