Key facts
- California banned the use of electric-shock gloves by law enforcement officers.
- The ban takes effect next year and lasts until 2030.
- ICE planned to equip its agents with the gloves, awarding a $17 million contract for 6,000 pairs.
- Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law.
- The law requires a safety study by the state's justice department due in 2029.
- A federal judge previously blocked a similar California law on face coverings for federal officers.
California has enacted a law banning the use of electric-shock gloves by all law enforcement officers, including federal agents, effective next year until 2030. The legislation was prompted by a recent decision from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to equip its agents with the devices, for which it awarded a nearly $17 million contract for 6,000 pairs.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill, stating it would strengthen transparency and accountability around immigration enforcement. This action is part of a broader effort by Democratic-led states to counter the immigration enforcement policies of the Trump administration. According to an Associated Press analysis, 17 states have passed over 100 pro-immigrant bills this year, many aimed at limiting cooperation with federal immigration agents.
Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins, who introduced the shock-glove legislation, said the goal was to pause the use of these devices while their risks are examined. The law mandates that the state's justice department study their safety and report findings by 2029. This move is expected to face legal challenges, as a federal judge previously blocked a California law restricting federal officers' use of face coverings, citing the supremacy clause of the US Constitution.
Professor emeritus Kevin Johnson of UC Davis School of Law suggested that states have limited power to dictate how federal officers are armed. Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper also voiced opposition, calling the ban nonsensical and arguing it hinders officers' ability to use non-lethal tools. Sharp-Collins, however, pointed to ICE's plan and a case in Kentucky where a man allegedly died after being shocked with gloves as the primary motivators for the ban. State Senator Scott Wiener emphasized the need for California to protect its communities from what he described as ICE's "secret police terror campaign."