Committee backs ban on wearable electroshock gloves amid safety and fiscal concerns

The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced AB 27 60, a bill by Assemblymember Sharp Collins that would bar federal, state and local law enforcement agencies from purchasing, possessing or using wearable electric shock devices concealed in gloves.

Assemblymember Sharp Collins framed the bill as a preventive fiscal and public‑health safeguard, saying lawmakers should not wait for serious harm before acting. Cleo Luthental, policy officer for the California Community Foundation, described the devices as concealed wearables that can be activated in close contact and noted a recent out‑of‑state death that supporters say involved repeated shocks. "This bill takes a proactive approach, preventing adoption of a technology that raises significant public health and oversight concerns," Luthental told the committee.

Monica Madrid of CHIRLA emphasized the fiscal risk to state and local governments from litigation and training costs that could follow widespread adoption. Opponents from the California State Sheriffs Association and narcotics officers expressed concerns about drafting errors and losing force options; they said discussions about amendments were ongoing. The committee recorded a roll call on the motion to pass and later reported a final vote of 4–2 to send the bill to the Senate floor.