In a bold legislative maneuver, California lawmakers are racing against the clock to curtail the use of a sophisticated device by ICE that federal authorities argue could provide agents with a less lethal alternative to firearms when handling confrontational situations.
The proposed Assembly Bill 2760 aims to outright prohibit the employment of “wearable electroshock devices” by law enforcement across California, with a clear mandate that includes federal agencies operating within the state.
Furthermore, this legislation would block state and local police forces from utilizing public funds to purchase such technology, necessitating an overhaul of their use-of-force guidelines to explicitly forbid its application.
This sweeping action unfolds as the Department of Homeland Security plans to potentially invest up to $20 million equipping ICE agents with thousands of these advanced devices.
The device central to this debate, the G.L.O.V.E.—which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter—has sparked both interest and controversy regarding its role in law enforcement tactics.
It is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based, veteran-owned company.
ICE and federal officials support the technology.
California lawmakers and civil rights groups oppose it.
Senior federal officials argue the gloves can help agents deal with combative individuals without resorting to lethal force, giving officers another option in dangerous encounters.
The gloves are already being used by some correctional facilities and select local police departments.
The Nelson County Jail in Kentucky is among the detention facilities that have outfitted guards with the devices.
If the federal purchase goes through, thousands of ICE field agents and deportation officers nationwide are expected to be equipped with the gloves by March 2027.
California lawmakers are now trying to make sure that technology stays off the streets of their state.
AB 2760 was introduced by Democratic Assembly Member Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins on Feb. 20 but was amended on Aug. 21.
The legislation was rewritten to specifically target wearable electroshock devices, with the prohibition applying to federal law enforcement agencies operating inside California.
The bill defines “wearable” to include any clothing or accessory item.
Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Democrat from the Bay Area, has blasted the technology as a “gross” tool used to “brutalize and hurt.”
But DHS has defended the need to obtain equipment for its officers.
“ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country. Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards,” a DHS spokesperson said.
Now California lawmakers are racing the clock.
On Monday, the state Senate voted 30-9 to suspend Joint Rules 61 and 62(a), an emergency procedural move that cleared the way for the newly rewritten measure to move forward without standard deadlines.
With the legislative session winding down, the fast-track maneuver gives lawmakers a chance to push the bill toward a final vote before the midnight Aug. 31 deadline.
AB 2760 is currently in the Senate Rules Committee and must clear the remaining procedural hurdles before lawmakers can take final action.