Representative Madeleine Dean of Glenside, along with Representative Delia Ramirez, has introduced the No Shock Act to ban the use of “shock gloves” by U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) agents, Dean announced on Thursday.

According to a notice published in August by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase 6,000 “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and agents by March.

The devices are known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, and are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky. They have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments, according to the Associated Press. To use the device, officers must complete a course and be recertified every two years, the manufacturer says.

The DHS hasn’t published plans about who at ICE will have access to the gloves, what training will be required to use them or what oversight measures will be implemented for their use.

“ICE requires a low-impact tool for its officers and agents to utilize in cases where an individual is resisting arrest or otherwise represents a clear threat to officers and agents,” the August contract justification said. “It will be used when a subject is actively or passively resisting and an officer needs to gain control quickly to prevent injuries to both parties.”

John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, is studying how the device has been used. He said ICE officers may use the gloves to help remove uncooperative subjects from cars and houses and in and out of detention facilities.

“It’s immediate and sharp, and it will distract you. I call it like a bee sting,” Peters told the Associated Press. “If the officer is getting any type of resistance from the person, this is certainly an effective tool.”

The No Shock Act would prohibit the use of these gloves for all DHS immigration enforcement, including ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as state and local officers enlisted to carry out federal immigration enforcement.

“For nearly two years, we have witnessed grotesquely un-American behavior from ICE agents — the tragic killing of innocent Americans, the wrongful arrests of lawful residents and peaceful protesters, and the inhumane conditions at ICE facilities across the country,” Dean said in a statement. “Now, DHS seeks to further arm ICE agents with electric shock gloves, enabling them to inflict even more pain with zero accountability. My bill will prohibit these devices from being used in any immigration enforcement.”

You can listen to Dean outline her position during a CNN interview yesterday:

You can read the full text of the bill below:

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Photo: Compliant Technologies LLC