American Oversight criticizes ICE shock-glove deployment without safety evidence
American OversightNonprofit watchdog, through its executive director in an official release
Through Executive Director Chioma Chukwu, American Oversight criticized planned deployment and rejected the idea that a de-escalation label established safety.
“Calling a shock glove a ‘de-escalation device’ does not make it safe.”
Official statement

Where this statement fits
Can California ban ICE and other federal agents from using electric shock gloves, as AB 2760 does?
On September 29, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2760, which bars any law enforcement agency in California, including federal agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from using a wearable electroshock device, meaning a weapon worn as a glove that delivers an electric shock. The law applies to state, local and federal agencies, requires a state Department of Justice study by January 1, 2029, and is repealed on January 1, 2030. It followed ICE's August 2026 sole-source contract of $16,700,640 for G.L.O.V.E. gloves from Compliant Technologies. Newsom and the bill's author, Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins, defend the ban, and Sharp-Collins says the gloves have not been proven safe. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli says California has no jurisdiction over federal agents and that he advised the Department of Homeland Security to disregard the law, and the department says it will not abide by it. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, the California State Sheriffs' Association, Republican legislators and the gloves' maker oppose the ban as unwise, and two UC Davis law professors say California likely lacks the power to bind federal officers. The disputed question is whether California can ban federal agents from using electric shock gloves. As of October 1, 2026, no court had ruled on AB 2760, and we found no lawsuit against it.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
The organization announces records obtained from ICE and criticizes planned deployment. Its assessment of safety remains attributed to the organization.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Chukwu discussed ICE's contract and its description of the gloves as de-escalation devices.
After the quotation
She cited manufacturer warnings and argued that the assessment left health risks unanswered.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The full statement criticizes deployment without established safety, beyond merely disputing a label.
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Read the full caseEssayli tells Newsom California has "no jurisdiction" over federal agents and says he advised DHS to disregard the shock-glove ban
“Governor, we’ve been through this already. If you want to regulate federal agents, you have to win a federal election. Until then, you have no jurisdiction. Accordingly, I have advised DHS to disregard your bill attempting to ban safe and effective less-lethal tools that agents need to escalate dangerous situations.”Read statement
Law professor Kevin Johnson says California has "very limited, if any, powers" over how federal officers are armed
“The state has very limited, if any, powers in dictating to the federal government how its officers are armed”Read statement
Newsom's office says California "cannot dictate federal immigration policy" but can set requirements for law-enforcement practices where federal enforcement operates in the state
“California cannot dictate federal immigration policy. But where federal immigration enforcement operates within California, the state can establish and enforce state-law requirements governing state property, state resources, detention facilities, public records, law-enforcement practices and access to state-administered programs.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "American Oversight criticizes ICE shock-glove deployment without safety evidence". First published: 2026-10-10. Last updated: 2026-10-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/5381-through-executive-director-chioma-chukwu-american-oversight-criticized