California has enacted a law banning the use of electric-shock gloves by local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. The legislation, passed on Tuesday, prohibits devices designed to deliver painful electric shocks to individuals.
The ban is set to come into effect next year and will remain in place until 2030. This development follows weeks after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced plans to equip its agents with these gloves, having awarded a contract worth nearly $17m for 6,000 pairs last month.
Governor Gavin Newsom stated that California is acting to enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight regarding immigration enforcement within the state. LaShae Sharp-Collins, a California assembly member, introduced the legislation to "put a pause" on the use of these devices while their potential risks are examined.
The new law mandates the state's justice department to conduct a safety study on the gloves and present its findings to lawmakers by 2029.