ICE to spend up to $20M on electric shock gloves marketed as 'low optics' tool

ICE to Acquire Electric Shock Gloves Marketed as “Low-Optics” Tool

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would spend between $10 million and $20 million to purchase gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks. The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), are manufactured by Compliant Technologies in Kentucky and are promoted as a “humane, low-optics, de-escalation solution.”

According to a report by Mother Jones on Monday, these gloves make federal agents’ use of force nearly invisible and harder to prove.

The term “low-optics” is central to the product’s appeal. Unlike traditional weapons, the gloves are designed not to provoke public outrage and leave no visible marks—making them an effective tool for avoiding excessive force lawsuits.

Law Enforcement Endorsements

In a 2024 promotional video for Compliant Technologies, Adam Glueck, then-assistant chief of the Cape Girardeau Police Department in Missouri, explained why officers had become “attached” to the devices:

“In today’s society, you know, everybody’s filming everything, everybody has a cell phone. [The glove] looks better on camera, and it looks better to those witnesses. With a glove, there are no burn marks or scars.”

Bob Couey of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department recommended the glove for “anybody that’s looking for a utility they can use that is conducive to not leading to lawsuits.”

Capabilities and Concerns

Video footage shows the gloves can incapacitate individuals quickly, causing grown men to crumple to the ground within seconds.

While classified as less-lethal, federal agents may feel more empowered to use the gloves on a broader range of people. The manufacturer warns against using the device on:

• Elderly people
• Pregnant women
• Children
• Individuals with severe disabilities

These are groups that have not been spared from the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement actions.

Navy Reviews Carrier Design to Match Trump’s Aesthetic Preferences

Amid a struggling conflict with Iran—which has led U.S. sailors to jump ship, rising gas prices, and a drop in President Trump’s approval rating—the U.S. Navy is reviewing plans to redesign its Ford-class aircraft carrier fleet.

The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Navy is conducting an internal review on moving command towers from the starboard side of carriers to the center, mimicking older World War II-era warships favored by Trump. The decision was directly influenced by the president’s aesthetic preferences. A Navy official told The Hill that Trump requested the Navy “implement design changes to our future aircraft carriers.” The review is expected to be completed in “several weeks,” according to a former official.

Trump has also ordered the Navy to replace electromagnetic catapult systems with steam-powered ones—another aesthetic-driven decision that would require significant time and taxpayer money to make ships appear more antiquated, while they remain stationed in the Persian Gulf with the Strait of Hormuz closed.

Naval maritime strategist Hunter Stires commented to The Hill:

“The placement of the island on the Ford class was chosen to support the ship’s design purpose of maximizing aircraft sortie generation—which for an aircraft carrier, directly translates to combat power. A good-faith exploration of future carrier design based on real-world operational requirements is one thing. Expending millions of taxpayer dollars and the time and energy of the Navy’s engineering organizations redesigning the nation’s premier capital ship to indulge the president’s aesthetic [preferences] is another.”