Nebraska's Largest School District Asks Police to Stop Carrying Shock Gloves in Schools

OMAHA — Omaha Public Schools, Nebraska's largest public school district, has asked police officers assigned to its schools to stop carrying a device called G.L.O.V.E. — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — a glove-shaped tool that can deliver an electric shock, while officers are working inside school buildings. Omaha police agreed to the request this week.

The device had been introduced as a less-lethal option for school resource officers, part of a broader national trend of equipping police assigned to schools with tools positioned as safer alternatives to firearms or physical restraint. But the idea of any electric-shock device being present in a K-12 environment — even one intended for extreme situations — drew concern once it became more widely known, prompting the district to act.

The decision adds to an active national conversation this back-to-school season about where the line sits between school safety and the risk of exposing students to policing tools designed for adult, non-classroom situations. It follows closely on the heels of separate federal guidance released just days earlier telling districts to evaluate classroom technology by evidence of results rather than blanket rules — a reminder that "technology in schools" now covers everything from AI tutoring software to, apparently, the equipment carried by the police officer in the hallway.