American Oversight criticizes ICE shock-glove deployment without safety evidence

American OversightNonprofit watchdog, through its executive director in an official release

Condemned

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

Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)American Oversight releases Army shock-glove records and criticizes safety evidence · American OversightOctober 6 release; Chukwu quotations and description of the December 2024 assessment

Case updates

Will California's shock-glove ban face a court test?

Expect an email if anyone sues over AB 2760, a court rules on it, or DHS, ICE or California officials take new steps on the ban.

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The California State Capitol in Sacramento seen from below, with the dome and flags against a clear blue sky.
Credit: Mackinacbridge

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applies to state, local and federal agencies, requires a state Department of Justice study by January 1, 2029, and is repealed on January 1, 2030.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.

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Source and context

Official statement

American Oversight releases Army shock-glove records and criticizes safety evidence (opens in a new tab) · American OversightOctober 6 release; Chukwu quotations and description of the December 2024 assessment

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

Condemned

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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More from this case

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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

Gavin Newsom

“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.”
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The Dispute Index
Title
American Oversight criticizes ICE shock-glove deployment without safety evidence
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https://disputeindex.com/events/5381-through-executive-director-chioma-chukwu-american-oversight-criticized

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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