The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto the “No Secret Police Act,” legislation that would prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing protective face coverings to conceal their identities. DHS officials argue that requiring officers to show their full faces could increase risks of being identified and targeted outside of duty.
“Sen. Scott Wiener’s legislation banning our federal law enforcement from wearing masks and his rhetoric comparing them to ‘secret police’—likening them to the Gestapo—is despicable. We urge Governor Newsom to condemn this rhetoric and veto this bill. Our federal law enforcement officers face a 1000% increase in assaults against them, unprecedented online doxing, and are having cars used as weapons against them. Once again sanctuary politicians are trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “The men and women at CBP, ICE, and all of our federal law enforcement agencies put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.”
According to DHS, when federal officers conduct operations, they identify themselves clearly through uniforms and protective vests marked with agency names such as ICE/ERO or Homeland Security, and are supported by marked vehicles. Officials say that face coverings are used to protect against potential targeting by criminal groups.
The original announcement can be found here.