Police Could Be Banned From Covering Their Faces Under CA Proposal

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Golden State lawmakers have introduced a bill that proposes to charge local, state and federal law enforcement officers with a misdemeanor if they cover their faces while on duty.

The bill, unveiled Monday by Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco), is titled The No Secret Police Act.

"We’re seeing the rise of secret police — masked, no identifying info, even wearing army fatigues — grabbing & disappearing people," the lawmaker wrote on X. "It’s antithetical to democracy [and] harms communities."

With some exceptions, if approved, the law would require all law enforcement officials to show their faces and be identifiable by their uniform, which should carry their name or other identifier. However, it would not apply to the National Guard or other troops. It would also exempt SWAT teams and officers responding to natural disasters.

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Wiener and State Sen. Jesse Arreguin (D-Oakland), said their proposal seeks to boost transparency and trust in law enforcement. The pair said the bill would also help limit those trying to impersonate law enforcement.

The news comes as the Trump administration continues a massive immigration raid and overall increased police presence, which has ignited unrest and protests across the nation, particularly in blue California.

“We are seeing more and more law enforcement officers, particularly at the federal level, covering their faces entirely, not identifying themselves at all and, at times, even wearing army fatigues where we can’t tell if these are law enforcement officers or a vigilante militia,” Wiener told The Associated Press. “They are grabbing people off our streets and disappearing people, and it’s terrifying."

In Los Angeles, immigration raids have continued to roil the city, triggering days of protests, which prompted President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard last week, against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.

Footage of raids has shown masked officers using unmarked vehicles as they grab people off the streets.

"The No Secret Police Act can help end the fear [and] chaos this behavior creates in communities," Wiener wrote on X.

Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, recently defended his officers using facemasks, explaining they wear them to protect themselves from death threats and harassment.

“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,” he told reporters at a news conference earlier this month.