Anyone who has been in law enforcement for a significant length of time has seen how the evolution of technology changes the way officers do their jobs. The implementation of body cameras, for example, has shaped how officers interact with the public, while something as straightforward as scheduling software can provide more equitable and manageable shift assignments.
While some of today’s tools are truly revolutionary compared to what officers had at their disposal 50 years ago, finding a tech-based solution that’s completely new to law enforcement rarely occurs. Yet for Jeffrey Niklaus, founder and CEO of Compliant Technologies, a discovery in 2014 provided the impetus to develop a nonlethal option for officers that’s both effective and unique.
A 20-year Army special operations helicopter pilot veteran and EMS pilot, Niklaus saw a rudimentary version of a device that used low voltage as a form of pain compliance. Operating out of Lexington, Kentucky, Niklaus developed the concept into what is now known as the G.L.O.V.E.
What is the G.L.O.V.E.?
Aptly named, the G.L.O.V.E. stands for generated low output voltage emitter and is designed to be deployed as a noninjurious compliance tool. Officers wear a pair of G.L.O.V.E.s on their hands and can subdue individuals within seconds via the product’s CD3 technology.
“The beautiful thing about CD3 technology, which stands for Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device, is that when the G.L.O.V.E. is applied, the current is so low that it won’t go through clothing, hair, metal or plastic,” explained Niklaus. “It activates on human skin, and we achieve what’s called neural peripheral interference. When the G.L.O.V.E. touches someone, it’s uncomfortable, but all we’re doing is affecting the sense of touch within the peripheral nervous system. Nine times out of 10, people just go down – we’re sitting at a 95% first-grab success rate.”
How exactly does the G.L.O.V.E. work so quickly without harming the individual on the other end? The design takes advantage of a large surface area and features both positive and negative contacts on the palm. When applied to the skin, the electricity generated chooses the path of least resistance to complete the circuit, working on the body’s surface level rather than entering deeper.
“It’s flat and it doesn’t put probes into the body, so no current ever enters the body,” said Niklaus. “If someone has a defibrillator, pacemaker, neurological issues or epilepsy, that current can’t trigger those issues because all we’re dealing with is the nerve bundles on the epidermis.”
How agencies benefit by using the G.L.O.V.E.
Over 600 agencies in the United States deploy the G.L.O.V.E. and it’s been used in nine countries worldwide. Across every law enforcement department partnering with Compliant Technologies, Niklaus estimates there have been at least 60,000 uses – and none have resulted in an injury or a lawsuit. When you include training and demonstrations, he believes the G.L.O.V.E. has been used more than 100,000 times with no burns, scars or lasting effects on those on the receiving end.
Not only does the G.L.O.V.E. provide de-escalation and effective control without injuring the individual it’s used on, but officers also find their frequency of injury is lower as they can stop violence before it escalates. Agencies report a noticeable reduction in use-of-force incidents, with some seeing between 76% and 90% fewer injuries and hospitalizations.
Fewer injuries to officers and perpetrators bring clear benefits to agencies on multiple fronts. When officers get hurt, it often means medical bills and workers’ compensation claims – costs that can pile up quickly depending on how serious the injury is. If an officer can’t work, someone else usually must cover their shift, often with overtime, which strains already tight agency budgets. Additionally, when a perpetrator isn’t injured during an encounter, there’s a much lower risk of lawsuits, which helps agencies avoid costly litigation.
‘It’s a more commonsense, low-key approach’
Providing law enforcement with a nonlethal tool that works in just a few seconds doesn’t just benefit officers and agencies, explains Niklaus.
“Our focus is to help change society in a positive way so that everyone from every walk of life, regardless of affiliation, should be able to rally behind it because we’re protecting our communities, we’re protecting our citizens in a nonlethal way and we’re creating better public relations between officers and those communities,” he said. “It’s a more commonsense, low-key approach.”
Officers who are skeptical of the efficacy of the G.L.O.V.E. are often unsure about such an approach, wondering where this tool would be useful. Niklaus says during these conversations, he asks officers if they’ve ever served a warrant and if it’s gone badly, or if they’ve ever had a vehicle extraction turn into a dangerous situation instantly.
Rather than turning to batons, OC sprays, conducted electrical weapons or even a firearm in these situations, the G.L.O.V.E. is one of the few options officers can count on to achieve their desired result. “All those other tools I could have taken away from me and used against me,” said Niklaus. “With the G.L.O.V.E., if they are on and active, it helps with weapons retention and makes it very difficult for someone to grab a tool off of me. Weapons transition is easy and the G.L.O.V.E. also makes a huge difference in eliminating weapons confusion.”
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