The
G.L.O.V.E.,
sits
o
a
table
afte
a
demo st atio
at
the
Oklahoma
Cou ty
Dete tio
Ce te .
(Photo:
AP)
US
Immig atio
a d
Customs
E fo ceme t’s
pla
to
spe d
up
to
$20
millio
o
elect ic-shock
gloves
is
faci g
c iticism
f om
civil
ights
g oups
a d
Democ atic
officials,
with
a
pe di g
w o gful-death
lawsuit
i
Ke tucky
aisi g
co ce s
ove
the
pote tial
misuse
of
the
devices.ICE
is
p epa i g
to
spe d
betwee
$10
millio
a d
$20
millio
o
the
gloves,
which
a e
desig ed
to
delive
a
elect ic
shock
whe
p essed
agai st
exposed
ski .
The
p oposed
p ocu eme t
comes
as
eco ds
a d
legal
claims
have
aised
questio s
ove
thei
use
o
people
i
custody.The
family
of
43-yea -old
Joh atha
Ma sfield
alleges
that
office s
epeatedly
used
a
elect ic
glove
a d
Tase s
o
him
befo e
he
suffe ed
ca diac
a est
i
2024.
Ma sfield
late
died
afte
bei g
hospitalised.The
Fayette
Cou ty
co o e
att ibuted
his
death
to
a
accide tal
ove dose
caused
by
delayed
complicatio s
of
methamphetami e
i toxicatio .
Howeve ,
his
w o gful-death
lawsuit
cites
t eati g
docto s
a d
a
i te al
i vestigatio
that
li ked
his
ca diac
a est
to
epeated
use
of
fo ce.
The
lawsuit
emai s
pe di g.
Reco ds
diffe
ove
shocks
used
o
Ma sfield
Ma sfield
was
take
i to
custody
at
the
Madiso
Cou ty
Dete tio
Ce te
i
Richmo d,
Ke tucky,
i
Septembe
2024
a d
died
the
followi g
mo th.
His
family’s
lawsuit
alleges
that
office s
used
the
elect ic
glove
o
him
27
times
a d
Tase s
a othe
13
times.
A
i depe de t
Madiso
Cou ty
she iff’s
i vestigatio
cited
by
the
Lexi gto
He ald-Leade
cou ted
23
uses
of
the
glove,
13
di ect-co tact
Tase
shocks
a d
two
p obe
deployme ts.The
diffe i g
figu es
have
ot
bee
eco ciled.A
i te al
i vestigatio
fou d
that
o e
applicatio
of
the
glove
lasted
99
seco ds,
mo e
tha
six
times
the
ma ufactu e ‘s
ecomme ded
15-seco d
limit.The
ole
of
the
shocks
i
Ma sfield’s
death
emai s
disputed.
While
the
co o e
co cluded
that
his
death
was
li ked
to
methamphetami e
i toxicatio ,
the
lawsuit
poi ts
to
medical
assessme ts
a d
the
i te al
i vestigatio
to
a gue
that
the
epeated
use
of
fo ce
co t ibuted
to
his
ca diac
a est.Two
othe
lawsuits
have
also
alleged
i ju ies
i volvi g
the
gloves.
O e
i volved
a
ma
with
hea t
p oblems
who
was
shocked
at
a
Las
Vegas
t ade
show,
while
a othe
defe da t
alleged
that
office s
used
the
device
without
justificatio
du i g
a
cou t
appea a ce.
Both
cases
we e
late
dismissed.
Civil
ights
g oups
wa
of
misuse
C itics
have
aised
co ce s
ove
givi g
office s
a
device
that
ca
i flict
pai
th ough
a
co cealed
butto .Je
Rol ick
Bo chetta,
deputy
p oject
di ecto
o
polici g
at
the
Ame ica
Civil
Libe ties
U io ,
desc ibed
the
i t oductio
of
the
device
as
a
” ecipe
fo
ha m
to
the
public”.Fo me
acti g
ICE
di ecto
Joh
Sa dweg
has
also
wa ed
that
office s
could
misuse
the
gloves
agai st
people
who
do
ot
pose
a
th eat.New
Yo k
Atto ey
Ge e al
Letitia
James
said
she
was
“out aged”
by
the
pla
a d
wa ed
that
ICE
office s
who
misuse
the
devices
i
he
state
could
face
civil
o
c imi al
co seque ces.Democ atic
ep ese tatives
P amila
Jayapal,
Maxwell
F ost
a d
Delia
Rami ez
have
also
c iticised
the
p oposed
pu chase.
Ma ufactu e
calls
gloves
o lethal
The
devices,
k ow
as
G.L.O.V.E.s,
o
Ge e ated
Low
Output
Voltage
Emitte ,
a e
ma ufactu ed
by
Complia t
Tech ologies,
which
desc ibes
them
as
a
“co ductive
dist actio
a d
de-escalatio
device”.The
compa y
ma kets
the
gloves
as
a
o lethal
law-e fo ceme t
tool
that
ca
be
wo
as
egula
duty
gloves
a d
activated
whe
a
office
eeds
to
gai
complia ce.U like
co ve tio al
Tase s,
which
ca
fi e
p obes,
the
gloves
must
make
di ect
co tact
with
exposed
ski
to
delive
a
elect ical
stimulus.Ma ufactu e
i st uctio s
advise
agai st
usi g
the
device
o
child e ,
p eg a t
wome
a d
elde ly
people.
They
also
p ohibit
usi g
it
simply
because
someo e
efuses
a
ve bal
comma d
o
as
a
fo m
of
pu ishme t.The
compa y
ecomme ds
limiti g
each
applicatio
to
15
seco ds.
It
mai tai s
that
the
device
is
o -i ju ious
a d
does
ot
leave
visible
ma ks
o
the
ski ,
a d
says
people
with
pacemake s
o
othe
hea t
co ditio s
face
o
additio al
isk
f om
its
use.
ICE
dete tio
use
of
fo ce
ises
The
p oposed
pu chase
comes
amid
a
b oade
i c ease
i
the
use
of
fo ce
at
ICE
dete tio
facilities.I te al
ICE
eco ds
a alysed
by
The
Washi gto
Post
docume ted
at
least
780
use-of-fo ce
i cide ts
du i g
the
fi st
yea
of
P eside t
Do ald
T ump’s
seco d
te m.
The
Post
fou d
that
1,330
detai ees
we e
subjected
to
fo ce,
54%
mo e
tha
the
p evious
yea ,
while
the
populatio
ac oss
the
98
facilities
studied
i c eased
by
45%.The
figu es
cove
dete tio
facilities
a d
do
ot
measu e
fo ce
used
by
ICE
field
office s
du i g
a ests.
Ma y
of
the
facilities
a e
ope ated
by
p ivate
co t acto s.ICE
ules
allow
fo ce
o ly
whe
attempts
to
esolve
a
i cide t
have
failed
a d
p ohibit
its
use
as
a
fo m
of
pu ishme t.
DHS
defe ds
p ocu eme t
The
Depa tme t
of
Homela d
Secu ity
has
defe ded
the
b oade
p ocu eme t
p ocess
but
has
ot
explai ed
why
ICE
selected
the
shock
gloves.DHS
said
ICE
egula ly
assesses
the
equipme t
equi ed
by
office s
to
make
a ests
safely
a d
eviews
ew
tech ologies
fo
complia ce
with
law-e fo ceme t
policies
a d
sta da ds.The
p oposed
devices
a e
i te ded
fo
pe so el
with
ICE’s
E fo ceme t
a d
Removal
Ope atio s
a d
Homela d
Secu ity
I vestigatio s
u its.ICE
could
seek
bids
fo
the
co t act
as
ea ly
as
F iday.
The
p oposed
ag eeme t
would
u
th ough
Ma ch
31,
2027.
