A fast-tracked state bill would prohibit wearable electroshock devices in California, while Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper says the gloves could reduce injuries during arrests.
California lawmakers are advancing a proposal to ban wearable devices that can deliver electric shocks, putting the state on a collision course with Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, who says his department has already bought and trained deputies on the technology.
Assembly Bill 2760, authored by Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins, would bar law-enforcement agencies from using wearable electroshock devices in California and restrict their purchase with state funds. The measure was being expedited in the closing days of the legislative session after Immigration and Customs Enforcement moved to acquire thousands of the devices.
Federal procurement records show ICE awarded Compliant Technologies a $16.7 million contract for equipment including 6,000 glove devices. The gloves, marketed as Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, deliver an electrical shock through direct skin contact when activated.
Cooper said the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spent $35,000 on 10 gloves and trained deputies to use them. He said none has been used in an on-duty incident. Cooper argued that the gloves deliver less voltage than Tasers and could give deputies an option short of strikes, batons or other force.
Sharp-Collins and civil-rights advocates contend the devices have not been sufficiently vetted and could expose people to serious harm. They argue California should act before the technology becomes more widely used.
The dispute is principally over use-of-force policy, not a disagreement about the underlying facts: lawmakers are pursuing a prohibition, ICE has contracted for the technology, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has purchased devices but says they have not yet been deployed in an incident.
