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Date: |
September 1, 2026 |
20 |
Title
Protecting Community Safety: Support for AB 2760 Prohibiting Wearable Electroshock Weapons in California, and A-72 Waiver (Districts: All)
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Overview
The State of California and the County of San Diego have committed to reducing unnecessary and excessive force, promoting de-escalation, and strengthening accountability in law enforcement practices. Yet communities continue to experience aggressive tactics from local, state, and federal law enforcement. In recent years, these issues have surfaced most visibly in San Diego’s border communities, where residents regularly encounter militarized immigration enforcement and report issues such as excessive force, harsh detention conditions, and limited accountability. Individuals detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center face heightened vulnerability with limited mechanisms available to record or challenge improper conduct.
Amid these concerns, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking to equip agents with wearable electroshock gloves known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), which deliver electrical shocks through direct skin contact. The Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to spend up to $20 million arming ICE agents with this technology. The device’s integration directly into clothing allows it to be used repeatedly during close physical contact, creating a form of force that is less visible, harder for bystanders to detect, and more difficult to evaluate after an encounter.
The dangers of this device are not theoretical. A pending wrongful death lawsuit alleges that 43-year-old Johnathan Mansfield was shocked 27 times with a wearable electroshock glove and an additional 13 times with a conventional Taser while detained in a county jail in Kentucky. Mansfield later suffered cardiac arrest and died. The case underscores how wearable electroshock devices can rapidly escalate encounters, deliver repeated shocks with deadly consequences, and leave almost no visible evidence. These features make the technology prone to abuse and fundamentally incompatible with safe and accountable law enforcement practices. California cannot allow our communities to be victimized by, or testing grounds for, this harmful technology.
California has spent years refining its use-of-force standards, but wearable electroshock devices pose unique risks not addressed by existing Taser regulations. AB 2760 responds by prohibiting state, local, and federal law-enforcement agencies from using these devices in California, banning the use of state funds for their purchase, and requiring agencies to update their use-of-force policies accordingly.
San Diego communities have seen what happens when aggressive enforcement is combined with inadequate accountability for far too many times. We cannot wait for another injury, another death, or another case of abuse before acting. AB 2760 is a commonsense, preventative measure that protects community members, protects people in custody, prevents escalation of force, and ensures that California does not normalize a new weapon whose risks remain poorly understood.
Body
Recommendation by Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre and Vice-Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe:
1) Waive Board Policy A-72 Agenda and Related Process, Section 2.C.2.ii, which establishes required timelines for review when preparing a Board Letter.
2) Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to express the County of San Diego’s support for Assembly Bill 2760.
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Equity Impact Statement
Support for AB 2760 advances equity by protecting vulnerable populations including immigrants, people in custody, people with disabilities, and youth, from a new and dangerous use-of-force technology. People in detention are particularly vulnerable because they cannot freely leave or remove themselves from an encounter with law enforcement. By preventing wearable electroshock devices from being deployed in California, the bill protects the physical safety and dignity of people who are least able to protect themselves.
Sustainability Impact Statement
Supporting AB 2760 promotes long-term community safety and well-being by reducing the risk of serious physical and psychological harm associated with use-of-force technology. By preventing the adoption of this technology before harmful practices become entrenched, AB 2760 supports healthier communities and more accountable approaches to public safety.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with this recommendation. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
Business Impact Statement
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Advisory Board Statement
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Background
The State of California and the County of San Diego have made commitments to reducing unnecessary and excessive use of force, promoting de-escalation, and strengthening accountability in law enforcement. Yet our communities continue to experience aggressive local, state, and federal law enforcement tactics. Recently, these patterns have been most evident in San Diego County’s border communities where community members have been victimized by aggressive and militarized immigration enforcement. In communities including Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, and Otay Mesa, federal immigration enforcement has become a persistent presence, while local officials and community organizations continue to raise concerns about aggressive arrests, excessive use of force, detention conditions, and the lack of meaningful accountability. These concerns are particularly acute at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, where people in federal custody are uniquely vulnerable to abuse and have limited ability to document or challenge misconduct.
Against this backdrop, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is moving to equip its agents with wearable electric-shock gloves. The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), deliver an electrical shock when an agent touches or grips a person with the gloves. ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, has announced plans to spend up to $20 million to acquire the technology for its officers.
Unlike a conventional Taser, the technology is incorporated directly into an officer’s clothing or equipment. The device can be used during close physical contact, potentially allowing an officer to inflict repeated electrical shocks without drawing a separate weapon. A wearable weapon can make the use of force less visible, harder for bystanders to recognize, and more difficult to independently evaluate for misconduct after the fact. The manufacturer's own materials describe the device as a tool for use during physical encounters.
The dangers of this device are not theoretical. A pending wrongful death lawsuit alleges that 43-year-old Johnathan Mansfield was shocked 27 times with a wearable electroshock glove and an additional 13 times with a conventional Taser while detained in a county jail in Kentucky. Mansfield later suffered cardiac arrest and died. The lawsuit alleges that officers repeatedly used the devices against him, raising profound questions about the safety of wearable electroshock technology and the likelihood of escalating rather than de-escalating encounters. A weapon that can inflict pain through physical contact, can be used repeatedly, and may leave limited visible evidence does not belong in the hands of public safety personnel.
The technology also raises concerns for state and local law enforcement. California has spent years strengthening standards governing police use of force, emphasizing de-escalation, proportionality, accountability, and the preservation of life. Allowing wearable electroshock weapons to enter the law enforcement arsenal would move in the opposite direction by introducing a new and relatively poorly studied mechanism for delivering harmful force at close range. California should establish a clear statewide boundary now on this dangerous technology rather than waiting for harm to occur first.
This is particularly important because wearable electroshock devices are fundamentally different from traditional Tasers. Existing California law regulates conventional electroshock weapons, but AB 2760 recognizes that a weapon embedded in an officer’s glove, clothing, or other wearable equipment presents distinct risks. The bill therefore prohibits law enforcement agencies from using wearable electroshock devices anywhere in California and expressly includes federal law-enforcement agencies, including ICE, within that prohibition. The bill also prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from using state funds to purchase the devices and requires those agencies to incorporate the prohibition into their use-of-force policies.
AB 2760 establishes a broader principle for California that law enforcement should not be permitted to introduce a new weapon capable of inflicting harm on people simply because the technology is new. This is especially important in California's border communities. San Diego residents are already witnessing aggressive federal enforcement tactics from ICE, including masked agents, militarized equipment, and force used during arrests in public spaces. California cannot allow our communities to be victimized by, or testing grounds for, this harmful technology. This prohibition should equally apply to state and local law enforcement. This technology presents unacceptable risks to safety, transparency, and accountability, and those risks do not disappear based on the badge worn by the person using it.
AB 2760 also requires every law enforcement agency that operates within the State of California to revise its use-of-force policy to explicitly prohibit the use of wearable electroshock devices. This requirement ensures that no single agency adopts a technology that could run counter to State and County of San Diego goals of reducing unnecessary and excessive force.
San Diego communities have seen what happens when aggressive enforcement is combined with inadequate accountability far too many times. We cannot wait for another injury, another death, or another case of abuse before acting. AB 2760 is a commonsense, preventative measure that protects community members, protects people in custody, prevents escalation of force, and ensures that California does not normalize a new weapon whose risks remain poorly understood.
Linkage To The County Of San Diego Strategic Plan
Today's item supports the Safety and Justice initiatives of the County’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan. Support for AB 2760 advances the County’s commitment to safe, equitable, and thriving communities by protecting residents and people in custody from unnecessary and potentially harmful uses of force. AB 2760 also advances the County’s goal of building trust between communities and government by ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected from escalation of force.
Respectfully submitted,
Paloma Aguirre Monica Montgomery Steppe
Supervisor, First District Supervisor, Fourth District
Attachment(s)
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