Omaha Police Halt Shock Gloves in 50,000-Student District as Bellevue Keeps Carrying Them
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 20
Omaha Police Halt Shock Gloves in 50,000-Student District as Bellevue Keeps Carrying Them
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 20
Summary
Omaha police agreed this week to stop carrying electric shock gloves in Nebraska’s largest school district after Superintendent Matthew Ray asked officers to stop using them on students.
34 school resource officers had been trained on the devices, and Omaha police used them twice in the 2025-26 school year, including once on a special education student, while defending them as the safest force option.
About 30 speakers opposed the gloves at a school board meeting, saying they undermined trust and posed risks for students, especially those with disabilities or medical needs.
Bellevue police and its district said they will keep the gloves, and three other metro districts patrolled by Omaha officers had not moved to bar them.
The reversal followed AP scrutiny of the devices—bought under a $66,000 contract for 40 gloves—and exposed uneven school oversight after emails showed district officials were told about them in 2023.