"While police chiefs say they won't enforce the state's new ban on masks for law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, California lawmakers say there's another way to penalize officers who conceal their identities. Senate Bill 627, known as the No Secret Police Act, can be enforced through the court system, creating a civil penalty for officers who violate the law, the bill's authors say."
"People can file these suits against ICE officers even if the LA police chief decides he doesn't want to bother to enforce the law, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco who co-authored the bill. The video and photographic evidence of these enforcement actions that Californians have been collecting for months will allow them to do just that."
"Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department both indicated last week the agencies will not enforce the ban on law enforcement wearing masks, with McDonnell referring to risks that could arise with two armed law enforcement agencies becoming involved in a confrontation. It's disappointing that LAPD doesn't want to enforce California law to protect our communities in the face of this assault, Wiener said, referring to the masked federal immigration officers descending on local communities."
Senate Bill 627, the No Secret Police Act, creates a civil enforcement mechanism allowing individuals, groups, city attorneys and district attorneys to sue law enforcement officers and agencies that conceal identities, including federal immigration agents. Civil penalties begin at $10,000 for violations occurring after Jan. 1. The law requires all law enforcement agencies operating in California to post a mask policy publicly by July 1. Some California police agencies have declined to enforce the mask ban, citing risks of armed confrontations between agencies. The law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2025 and is facing a constitutional challenge from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Read at www.dailynews.com
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