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'No Secret Police Act': Democratic Bill Would Ban Trump's Masked Federal Agents
(www.commondreams.org)
this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2025
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politics
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This is great, but a) it isn’t going to pass, and b) what about cops going under cover and plainclothes officers? So they get a carve out, or are they made illegal?
How about SWAT teams in gas masks? Sheriffs working in dusty areas wearing bandanas? Riot visors?
They're basically extending an existing law making wearing a disguise while committing a crime a separate offense, to cover law enforcement while in the performance of their duties. It's already illegal for you to do this as a regular civilian, they're making it the same for law enforcement.
There is an exception for undercover officers. There is zero reason outside those situations for an officer to disguise themselves. SWAT aren't usually disguised, they are very clearly identified as police already and aren't trying to disguise themselves.
Plainclothes officers outside undercover assignments are already a grey area to be honest, too easy for them to purposefully escalate conflicts while making it look natural, and then justify a response to an escalation they created. ICE is just using that to their advantage here.
This actually is not a particularly vague law. It's pretty clear cut, and requires an intent to disguise. With the ICE bitches there is a clear intent to disguise there and not identify themselves as law enforcement, they've even admitted that is the case.
The mask itself isn't the issue, it's the mask alongside not being not identifying themselves as police via something like a uniform or vest.
Police horses don't wear masks I think the pigs who ride them shouldn't get to either.
It's actually not that vague looking into it. They have to be readily identifiable. They can totally wear masks as long as their identifiable as police and not trying to disguise themselves. So things like SWAT and riot equipment already identify them as police.
It has an exemption for undercover officers, which already have existing requirements and paperwork associated for oversight. There is zero reason for any other officer to not be identifiable.
It requires intent to disguise, so effectively this just outlaws plainclothes officers, which should already not be allowed honestly. Too easy for them to escalate a conflict from within to then justify an escalated police response. Protesters aren't violent enough? Send Jeff and Bobby inside in plain clothes to start some shit.
It would be illegal for the govt to do so I guess. Why would it be legal for the org to do it if it's specifically prohibited for individual officers?
The law should bind everyone, including the government.
Everything sounds vague if you only read the headline about it, and not the actual law
And it would have to be enforced which it won’t. Democrat do nothing while pretending to do something shit again.
It would be a state law. Dems in CA are much more likely to make sure it gets enforced compared to the federal level.