The masks are coming off in St. Paul. On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council unanimously signed off on a new ordinance that bars law enforcement officers from wearing masks or other face coverings while on official duty. Council members said the move is aimed squarely at stopping what residents have described as “masked secret agents” moving through neighborhoods after recent federal immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities. The measure passed without opposition and now heads to the mayor for a signature.
What the ordinance does
Introduced on Feb. 4, the ordinance bans officers from covering their faces during enforcement actions and requires badges or other official identification to be clearly visible on the outermost layer of clothing. City officials say the rule is written to cover all law enforcement personnel operating inside St. Paul, not just local police. Any officer who “willfully and knowingly” violates the policy could be charged with a misdemeanor.
The law is scheduled to take effect 30 days after the mayor signs it and the city publishes it, according to Pioneer Press.
State and federal context
St. Paul is stepping in after weeks of national debate over masked federal officers that followed Operation Metro Surge, which brought scores of federal agents into the Twin Cities. The question of whether governments can tell federal agents to show their faces is already being tested in court.
In California, a federal judge recently blocked a state law that would have barred federal agents from wearing masks, but left in place a requirement that officers clearly display their agency and badge numbers. Legal experts say that ruling could influence any future challenges to mask restrictions elsewhere, according to California Courts Newsroom…