What to know
- California lawmakers introduced legislation this week that would prohibit law enforcement officers from covering their faces while on duty, with certain exceptions.
- The bill, known as the No Secret Police Act, is an attempt to increase transparency and accountability by requiring officers to be clearly identifiable through their uniforms or other means.
- The legislation also would deter individuals from impersonating law enforcement officers, says the bill's co-author.
Proposed legislation in California would ban police and law enforcement officers from covering their faces —with some exceptions—while carrying out their duties in the state.
The bill, which is known as the No Secret Police Act, was introduced Monday and comes on the heels of protests that have erupted across California, The San Francisco Standard reports. Along with prohibiting face coverings on officers, the legislation—which is being touted as a way to ensure transparency and accountability for law enforcement in the state, including federal agents—also would require officers to be identifiable through their uniforms or other means, according to KTVU-TV.
"We do not need secret police in California," said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a co-author of the bill, at a news conference Monday.
Exceptions to the ban on police coverings include:
- SWAT officers in riot gear.
- officers wearing medically required masks, such as those worn during the pandemic or wildfires.
Violation of the measure, if passed, would be a misdemeanor.
Wiener said the bill would be an added safeguard against individuals who try to impersonate police officers. The California Police Chiefs Association and California Statewide Law Enforcement Association did not immediately respond to KTUV to comment about the legislation.
Going forward, Wiener said he would be getting input from members of law enforcement in the Bay Area. He says he understands concerns officers might have about their personal safety and the safety of their families.
The unmasking of federal agents has been a hot button topic in the state—and across the country—in the wake of raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs agents that kicked off nationwide protests. In a response to a question Friday about unmasking federal agents, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that such a move would make them targets for "Democrat activists" and put the officers at risk for doxxing.
"If we want the public to trust law enforcement, we cannot allow them to behave like secret police in an authoritarian state," said Wiener.
