ICE Awards $16.7 Million Contract for Electric Shock Gloves

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves for its officers, a move that has drawn immediate criticism from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates. The contract, announced in a federal database on August 28, was signed with Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC on August 27 for the delivery of the devices, known as Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters or G.L.O.V.E. units, along with support equipment and services over the next six months. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, defended the purchase as essential for officer safety.