Key facts
- Omaha Public Schools will no longer allow school resource officers to use electric shock gloves.
- Superintendent Matthew Ray requested the halt after learning about the devices the previous week.
- The decision followed public outcry at a school board meeting and an Associated Press investigation.
- The Omaha Police Department confirmed officers will continue to carry tasers, batons, OC spray, and firearms.
- The gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., were used twice in the 2025-2026 school year.
Police officers assigned to Omaha's largest public school district will no longer use electric shock gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., following a request from Superintendent Matthew Ray. Ray stated he had only learned about the devices the previous week and that their continued use would be counterproductive to fostering school safety and relationships with law enforcement.
The decision came after significant community backlash, with approximately 30 residents and school board members speaking out against the practice at a Monday night meeting. Students also voiced concerns, with one high school senior describing the potential for a peer to be "electrocuted in a place that is supposed to be a safe space."
The Omaha Police Department confirmed that officers will continue to carry tasers, batons, OC spray, and firearms. The department had trained most of its 34 school resource officers on the use of the gloves, which were purchased in 2025 for about $66,000. The gloves were deployed twice during the 2025-2026 school year. The halt follows an Associated Press investigation into the use of these devices by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and some jails.