Los Angeles County officials are calling for an ordinance to prohibit law enforcement officers from concealing their identities through the use of masks 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.
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.