ICE Plans Noncompetitive Purchase of Electric-Shock 'G.L.O.V.E.' Gloves, DHS Forecast Shows

A Department of Homeland Security planning document shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends a noncompetitive purchase of CTG-5 “G.L.O.V.E.” electric-shock gloves worth an estimated $10 million to $20 million for personnel in two of the agency’s operational arms.

The record, published Aug. 10 in DHS’ Acquisition Planning Forecast System, lists the item as “CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter)” for ICE officers and agents in Homeland Security Investigations, known as HSI, and Enforcement and Removal Operations, or ERO. The posting says “Competition: NO.”

The document is an acquisition planning forecast, not a signed contract award, and it does not show that ICE has already bought, issued or deployed the gloves. The public record lists an estimated solicitation release date of Aug. 14 and a projected contract completion date of March 31, 2027. It does not provide an exact unit count.

The Associated Press reported that ICE planned to buy “thousands” of the devices by March, but that figure does not appear as a unit count on the public DHS forecast page.

AP identified the manufacturer as Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky. The company markets the G.L.O.V.E. as a “Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device.” Its materials say the device must contact skin to work.

Manufacturer specifications for the CT-G5 list 324 to 362 volts, capped below 380 volts, with a maximum current of roughly 0.7 to 1.2 amps. The materials also say the model has event-recording capability.

The company’s own user and training materials warn of potentially grave consequences. “Any use of force, including CEW(s) employment, may cause or contribute to death or serious injury,” the materials say. They also recommend not using the device on “the elderly, small children, pregnant women, the severely handicapped.”

That warning is likely to draw scrutiny as ICE explores equipping federal immigration enforcement personnel with the gloves. AP reported that similar devices have been used by some jails and police departments in recent years, but this planned purchase would be for federal officers and agents in immigration enforcement.

The procurement process itself may also attract attention. Under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 6, the rules that govern competition in federal contracting, noncompetitive procurements generally require a written justification and approvals. The DHS forecast page does not itself include that justification.

Compliant Technologies founder and CEO Jeff Niklaus told AP, “Unfortunately, we are unable to speak on this subject.”

The planned purchase lands amid broader criticism of direct-contact electric shock weapons. In 2023, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture described such devices as “inherently cruel, inhuman or degrading” and recommended that governments ban them. That characterization does not determine the legality of any U.S. purchase, but it helps explain why the prospect of federal deployment is likely to face oversight questions.

Several details remain unclear from the public DHS posting. It does not list a confirmed quantity of gloves, does not show a final contract award, and does not spell out the policy ICE would use to govern when officers or agents could employ the devices if a purchase goes forward.