Story perspectives

Omaha removes electric shock gloves from school campuses

8/22/2026

Center

Police Drop Gloves

Omaha Police Department school resource officers used electric shock gloves on two Omaha Public Schools students during the 2025-26 school year.
After superintendent Matthew Ray’s letters, the department pledged to remove the gloves from OPS campuses, while Bellevue police kept theirs.
Mayor John Ewing and Police Chief Todd Schmaderer issued a statement honoring the district’s opt-out.
The decision followed community pressure demanding the gloves’ removal.

Left

Police Deploy Gloves

Omaha Police Department school resource officers used electric-shock gloves on two Omaha Public Schools students during the 2025-26 school year.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement disclosed a $20 million procurement plan for the same shock-glove technology, tying the local program to a federal acquisition.
Parents, students and board members voiced alarm over undisclosed deployment of gloves in schools.
Omaha city council unanimously approved a $66,000 contract for 40 gloves in 2025.

Blindspot

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement disclosed a $20 million procurement plan for the same electric-shock glove technology used by Omaha school resource officers.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In 1994, Congress enacted the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, earmarking $1.5 billion for police equipment upgrades. The Los Angeles Police Department quickly purchased 1,000 Taser X26 units from Taser International, a $2.5 million investment documented in a 1995 budget report. Today, Omaha Police Department’s $66,000 contract for 40 electric-shock gloves and ICE’s $20 million procurement echo the same federal-funded expansion of non-lethal weaponry. The 1994 precedent suggests that large-scale funding without community oversight can normalize controversial tools, prompting renewed calls for transparent policy reforms.

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Police Drop Gloves

Omaha Police Department school resource officers used electric shock gloves on two Omaha Public Schools students during the 2025-26 school year.
After superintendent Matthew Ray’s letters, the department pledged to remove the gloves from OPS campuses, while Bellevue police kept theirs.
Mayor John Ewing and Police Chief Todd Schmaderer issued a statement honoring the district’s opt-out.
The decision followed community pressure demanding the gloves’ removal.

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