California lawmakers propose ban on masked law enforcement officers

HOUSTON, United States

Lawmakers in California on Monday introduced a measure that would ban law enforcement officers from wearing masks while carrying out operations at the local, state, or federal level.

The legislation, called the No Secret Police Act, was introduced by Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener and Sen. Jesse Arreguin in response to controversial federal immigration raids under the current Trump administration during which agents wore masks and plain clothes and failed to identify themselves or under whose authority they were acting.

Those raids have led to protests in Los Angeles and other cities.

The proposed bill would prohibit law enforcement officers, or any person acting on behalf of a law enforcement agency, from covering their faces, according to multiple media reports.

It would also require officers "to be identifiable via their uniform, whether with name or other identifier," the senators said in a statement.

"People are afraid, families are being torn apart," Weiner said told a news conference. "And it's important that anyone who is engaged in law enforcement activity – whether state, county or whether it's federal – that there's full transparency in terms of what's happening."

Both senators said the bill is intended to improve public trust in law enforcement.

"This law is rooted in two principles. One, to protect the safety of California's communities. And two, to ensure that there is transparency and accountability for law enforcement," said Arreguin.

Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Department secretary, defended law enforcement covering their faces in a recent interview with CBS News.

"It's for the safety of those individuals or the work that they're doing as far as protecting their identity so they can continue to do investigative work," said Noem.

Exceptions to the proposed law include Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, personnel wearing medical-grade masks such as surgical or N95 masks, and officers wearing masks designed to protect against smoke during a wildfire-related state of emergency.