Letter cites ‘blatant and tragic misuse of force’ in five locations
A group of U.S. senators led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday to cancel its plan to outfit officers with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks. In a letter to ICE’s acting director, Cortez Masto was joined by other Democratic senators and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine in questioning both the $20 million cost of the devices and the agency’s ability to use them appropriately.
The letter is the latest formal expression of opposition to a procurement plan that became public earlier this month when ICE published a notice outlining its intent to purchase thousands of what the agency called “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and investigators.
In the letter, the senators pointed to incidents they characterized as “blatant and tragic misuse of force” in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Maine, and other locations. “The blatant and tragic misuse of force in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Maine, and other locations around the country raises significant skepticism about the agency’s professional capability to safely deploy a new tool that could be used to harm Americans without cause,” the letter said.