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SACROMENTO — In response to immigration attacks by masked federal officers across Los Angeles and across the country, two California lawmakers proposed a new state law Monday that would prohibit law enforcement members from hiding their faces while they’re working.
The bill encourages local, state and federal law enforcement officials to misdemeanor cover their faces with a few exceptions and wear a shape of identification in their uniforms.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, co-author of the bill, said:
During a press conference that released the law in San Francisco, Winner criticized the Trump administration for targeting illegal immigrants with no criminal history, claiming current tactics allow ICE agents to in some cases look to local police. Under the proposal, law enforcement officials are exempt from mask bans when they serve on SWAT teams or when masks are required for medical or health reasons to prevent smoke inhalation.
The recent sweep of immigration enforcement has scared communities across California, and I am sure national officials are legal because of their lack of freebies and identification. He said the bill would provide transparency and block impersonators.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security oversaw immigration and customs enforcement and customs border security agencies, calling the proposal “despicable” and said it poses a threat to law enforcement officials by identifying law enforcement officials and receiving retaliation.
“We prosecute ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law. ICE men and women risk their lives every day to arrest violent, illegal aliens, criminal, in order to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.
But Wiener said that law enforcement members are civil servants and that people need to look at their faces so that they can take responsibility for their actions.
He compared ICE officials to Stormtroopers, saying that covering fictional helmet soldiers from the film Star Wars, hiding their faces, and hiding the names of law enforcement officials, protecting them from public scrutiny and from the communities they intend to serve.
“We don’t want to move towards such a model where law enforcement becomes like an occupation force separated from the community. That’s when you start hiding their faces and hiding their identities,” he said.
California law already prohibits wearing a mask or other disguise that includes a fake mustache, wig or a beard. It was unclear whether the proposal would affect undercover agents or ordinary police officers, or whether state law could apply to federal police.
The proposal is provided as an amendment to Senate Bill 627, an essentially visceral housing measure.
The bill also includes a non-legally binding intention clause. It says that all law enforcement agencies in the state work to require names to be displayed on uniforms.
“Finding a balance between public transparency and trust and officer safety is important when you’re talking about creating state laws that change the rules for officers placed in a conflict situation,” California Police Chief Jason Salazar said in a statement. “We are in touch with Senator Wiener, who reached out to us prior to the introduction of this bill, and will engage in discussions with him and his office to ensure that the safety of law enforcement first responders is a top priority.”
Wiener said the new measures will make it clear who is a police officer and who is not. This would spark a politically motivated murder of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, as well as an attempt to kill another politician and his wife. Suspect Vance Bolter has been accused of knocking on the deputy’s door late at night and announcing they would be opening as police officers, authorities said.
US Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote in X’s post that the bill puts ice agents at risk.
“Don’t forget – targeted attacks on ice agents have increased by 413%. This is another shameless attempt to harm them,” she said.
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