Parents in the Omaha area have pushed back after learning that some school resource officers were carrying electric shock gloves that have been used on students at least five times since 2022, according to reporting on the controversy.
What the devices are and how they were used
The gloves, sold as the G.L.O.V.E. by Compliant Technologies of Kentucky, deliver an electrical shock when the wearer touches bare skin. The company says the devices deliver a maximum charge of 380 volts, and the user manual advises against using them on small children. The gloves have drawn scrutiny elsewhere: California has banned them, and Army testers reported intense pain in trials, according to the reporting.
- Omaha police purchased 40 pairs for nearly $66,000 in June 2025 and trained 29 of 34 school resource officers to use them.
- Use of the gloves in Omaha schools reportedly occurred at least five times beginning in 2022.
- Officials say the first documented Omaha use was in January 2026 at South High School; another occurred in May 2026 involving a middle school student in a program for children with special needs.
District responses
Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Ray said he was unaware officers were using the shock gloves in district buildings. With the mayor’s support, the district banned the devices in August.
In neighboring Millard Public Schools, district leadership defended keeping the gloves available. Superintendent John Schwartz declined to speak with reporters and the district released a statement arguing that removing the devices would eliminate a lower-impact option and could increase risks to students, staff and officers.
The gloves were originally ordered for law enforcement use beyond schools; the reporting noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has procured similar gloves for agents.
Concerns from parents and others
A group of mothers in Omaha has sought to stop school officers from carrying the devices, citing the reported uses on students and the devices’ painful effect described by outside testers. Parents raised the issue with district leaders this summer, prompting public attention and the Omaha district’s ban.
Omaha police acknowledged the purchases and training of school resource officers. School and police reports cited in the coverage say officers used the gloves in response to student behavior including a fight with an administrator and an incident where a student threw a chair and struck a security guard.
The city and districts continue to face questions from parents and advocacy groups about policies governing force and alternatives for managing student behavior in schools.
