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Los Angeles County officials are calling for an ordinance to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities while on duty.
The move comes after recent federal immigration raids in the city where some federal agents covered their faces with masks and refused to reveal their identities, which is not abnormal.
The Board of Supervisors voted 4–0, with one abstention, on Tuesday to direct county counsel to draft an ordinance that bans law enforcement, including federal agents, from wearing masks, with some exceptions including for medical protection or during undercover operations.
Officers would also be required to visibly display identification and agency affiliation while on duty in public.
MASSACHUSETTS BILL WOULD FORCE ICE AGENTS TO UNMASK
Federal agents have conducted ICE raids in Southern California since June under President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, sparking protests and the subsequent federal deployment of the National Guard and Marines. About half the Guard troops and all the Marines have since been pulled out of Los Angeles.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, who co-authored the motion, said the raids have provoked fear and residents have a right to know who is stopping, questioning or detaining them.
“Across the county, people are being pulled out of their cars, beaten, and ripped from their families by men in tactical gear with balaclavas, no badges, and no names,” Hahn said. “That’s not how law enforcement in a democracy should operate.”
Hahn admitted that it is unclear if the county will be able to enforce the measure against actions by federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Ultimately, it might have to be decided by a court,” she said.
FROM ‘SAFETY’ TO ‘FASCIST STATE’: SENATORS SHARE OPINIONS ON ICE AGENTS WEARING MASKS
Administration officials have defended officers who conceal their identities, arguing that immigration agents do it for their safety to avoid potential death threats and doxing, which includes releasing someone’s personal information online without their permission.
“I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is,” ICE acting director Todd Lyons said last month.
A pending measure in the state legislature would prohibit local, state and federal police from covering their faces while on duty in the Golden State. Similar legislation has been proposed in other states and U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., have introduced a bill at the federal level.
In Los Angeles County, the county counsel has 60 days to submit the draft ordinance to the board for approval.
Supervisor Hilda Solis, the other co-author, said local officials must establish expectations about how law enforcement should conduct themselves in the county.
“The use of masks, tactical gear, and refusal to show identification is not only alarming and confusing, but erodes public trust and raises serious safety concerns,” Solis said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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