The Shock G.L.O.V.E: A Tool or a Weapon? The $20 Million Question

“The G.L.O.V.E. is basically a simple use-of-force tool.”
- Compliant Technologies, Jeff Niklaus, founder and CEO

By March 2027, thousands of ICE agents may be armed with a new “tool.” According to a Homeland Security record, the department has allocated $10 to $20 million to purchase “conductive distraction and de-escalation” devices.

An invoice from 2025 revealed that Rockingham County, NC, paid $ 5,580 for four gloves. Training added another $1,390 to the tab. Until the final receipts are posted, we can only estimate the number of units. However, based on these figures, well over 10,000 shocker gloves may hit the streets in the coming months.

On the surface, the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E—designed and sold by Compliant Technologies— is a “use-of-force tool.” Their own materials beg the populace to question that classification.

A promotional video posted to the company’s YouTube page touts it as a “safe” product. In their own words, it “puts out 80% less current than other typical tools” and it leaves “no burns, marks, or scars.” Minutes later, Jeff Niklaus, founder and CEO of Compliant Technologies, promises: “no current ever enters their body.” The glove is then deployed, causing a healthy adult to crumple to the floor, cursing.

In an article in The Daily Journal, Jenn Rolnick Borchetta of the American Civil Liberties Union voiced a concern many feel. “ICE spent the last year showing this country they are too quick to use force. Now they will be able to deploy electric shocks with the slight push of a button that maybe nobody else can see them do.”

In the article, John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, classifies the shock as a “distraction,” comparing it to a “bee sting.” However, in your experience, do distractions and bee stings typically cause healthy men to drop to their knees?

The public face of the company calls it a “tool.” Page four of the user guide, available on their website, calls it a “weapon.” Which is it?

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A careful reading of the guide raises additional red flags. On page twelve, a red warning label reads, “No more than two (one pair or equivalent) of G.L.O.V.E. devices should be applied at one time to a single subject. No more than 15-second activation duration should be deployed for a Level 2 ROE event.”

The next page recommends that the glove not be used on higher-risk populations: the elderly, small children, pregnant women, and the severely handicapped. It also cautions, “Any use of force, including CD3 deployment, may cause or contribute to death or serious injury.” A section titled “Physiological Considerations” notes that the device may “increase the affects that can cause sudden death including physiological changes.”

Americans ought to be concerned. When a weapon capable of bringing an adult to their knees with the tap of a button is released, hard questions are necessary. When that same weapon is placed into the hands of an agency infamous for using excessive force against the very population the manual urges caution towards, concern is appropriate.

So what do we do?

• UNDERSTAND | Read and share the Gen 3 & Gen 4 Product User Guide. Pages 4, 12, 13, 14, and 18 note safety concerns. Familiarize yourself with it. Watch the demonstration video.

• INFORM | Send this manual to your senators, representatives, state representatives, and local city council. Draw their attention to the pages that outline the risks. Add the video of the glove being demonstrated. Demand that they proactively address its likely misuse.

• CALL OR VISIT your representatives. They are on recess until August 31.
  Print the manual, highlight it, and deliver it to their office. Ask, “Should these weapons, which can be activated by accident, be on our streets? Should they be handed to a department that refuses to hold its agents accountable?”
  Use 5calls.org to call.

• GET LOUD | Protest. Share. Do not let this happen quietly.

• PREPARE | These will likely roll into our streets. If you are an organizer or host ICE Watch trainings, add a section on these gloves. Be prepared to spot them. Update your safety and first aid procedures. Be proactive.

From yesterday…

Defending the Wilderness

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Aug 11

HOLD UP… Tell me your story of hope. Whether it’s a protest of one or a walk-out of hundreds, it matters. Links to local newspapers are welcome, as are original stories not covered elsewhere.