California Lawmakers Move to Ban Electric Shock Gloves for Law Enforcement
California lawmakers moved quickly to pass Assembly Bill 2760, instituting a statewide ban on electric shock gloves to prevent federal immigration enforcement agents from utilizing the controversial technology. Authored by state Assemblymember LaShea Sharp-Collins, the legislation prohibits local, state, and federal agencies from possessing, using, or procuring the devices.
Legislative Pushback Against Federal Enforcement Plans
The legislative action follows an announcement earlier in August by the Department of Homeland Security detailing plans to allocate between $10 million and $20 million to procure electric shock gloves from Compliant Technologies of Lexington, Kentucky, for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The Department of Homeland Security defended the procurement as a careful decision, noting that other agencies nationwide already employ the technology.
However, civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, sharply criticized the rollout. Critics argued the move risks intimidating the public and compounds existing scrutiny over safety and fatalities during ICE detentions and arrests.
Assembly Bill 2760 was designed to stop those federal deployment plans within California borders. “We cannot spend state money or tax dollars on technology that is not to better our state,” Assemblymember LaShea Sharp-Collins stated during a news conference in Sacramento, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “It cannot be used on our children, it cannot be used on our teachers, our business owners, it cannot be used on anyone.”
Technical Specifications and Local Law Enforcement Division
The device at the center of the dispute is the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E—an acronym for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter—which resembles a thick work glove and emits a 380-volt shock upon physical contact. While the manufacturer maintains that the gloves deliver lower voltage than traditional tasers and provide a rapid, non-lethal compliance option, opponents argue they remain dangerous in routine field operations.
“Many people try to say weapons like this are about de-escalation, but I don’t know how many people have put hands on someone and said that’s de-escalation,” state Assemblymember Alex Lee said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “There’s already a spectrum of non-lethal, less-than-violent weapons out there that exists… ICE and law enforcement don’t need another tool.”
Resistance to the ban emerged locally from municipal law enforcement leadership. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper defended the technology, confirming that his department spent $35,000 to purchase 10 of the devices for deputies, according to CBS News Sacramento. Sheriff Cooper criticized the legislation as a reactionary measure against federal policy rather than a reasoned evaluation of local tactical utility, asserting that the gloves can successfully minimize physical strikes and baton usage during detentions.
Despite local sheriff pushback, the state Senate voted 30-9 on a Monday rule change to expedite the bill before the legislative session’s August 31 conclusion. Sharp-Collins crafted the measure in consultation with the state attorney general’s office to withstand prospective legal challenges from the federal administration.