ICE contract to outfit agents with electric shock gloves from Kentucky company, Kentucky Lantern reports

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving toward outfitting its agents with electric shock gloves produced by a Kentucky company under a contract described by Kentucky Lantern as worth $20 million and awarded without competition.

The report says the agreement would supply the device to agents performing immigration enforcement work. It frames the procurement as part of ICE’s equipment decisions for field operations and notes that the gloves are manufactured in Kentucky.

Kentucky Lantern’s account characterizes the procurement as a no-bid award, which would bypass competitive bidding typically associated with federal purchases. No additional procurement details, such as the date of award, the contract number, or the company’s name, are included in the information provided for this write-up.

The use of electrical control devices by federal officers is a public safety and oversight issue, because such equipment can affect the level of force used in arrests or detentions. Communities and courts have previously scrutinized the training, deployment, and accountability systems surrounding such tools, particularly when use incidents lead to injuries or disputes.

Federal procurement decisions can also carry budget and compliance implications. When agencies award contracts without competition, it can limit public visibility into how vendors are selected and how costs are negotiated, issues that watchdog groups and some lawmakers have raised in past equipment procurement debates.

It remains unclear from the reported packet whether the gloves are intended for nationwide rollout or limited to specific ICE field operations, and whether there are scheduled testing, training requirements, or performance benchmarks tied to the award.

ICE is expected to continue equipping and training its personnel as procurement deliveries move forward, while the contract structure may also become a subject of questions in oversight channels that examine federal contracting and use-of-force policies. If additional records are released, they could clarify the procurement rationale and the distribution plan for the devices.