By Michael Kransz
mlive.com
LANSING, Mich. — Law enforcement officers who attempt to conceal their face or identity while on the job in Michigan could face jail time under a bill introduced by state House Democrats.
The bill, unveiled Thursday, July 24, targets Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has become increasingly known for using plainclothed or masked officers during immigration raids and operations to hinder identification.
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Trump administration officials say this practice is needed to safeguard ICE officers and their families from being harassed or threatened in public and online after the officer’s identity is uncovered, according to the Associated Press .
However, Michigan House Democrats contend these “secret police” practices generate fear, remove accountability and create an unnecessary risk for the community and other law enforcement.
Bill sponsor state Rep. Betsy Coffia, D- Traverse City , said “justice needs no masks.”
“For the average person, these incidents look like violent kidnappings,” Coffia said. “With this new federal tactic of wearing masks with no identification, there is no way for the public, the people being accosted or grabbed or even local law enforcement and local, state elected leaders to know who these folks are.”
House Speaker Matt Hall , R- Richland Township , could not immediately be reached for comment about the bill and whether the Republican-controlled chamber would take it up.
Coffia’s bill is similar to legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this month by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin . That legislation would prohibit immigration enforcement officers, including ICE, Border Patrol and others, from wearing non-medical face coverings and require they display identification of their agency and name or badge number.
President Donald Trump took aim at Slotkin, along with Sens. Alex Padilla, D- D-California, and Cory Booker, D- New Jersey, who co-introduced the bill.
“They wouldn’t be saying that if they didn’t hate our country, and they obviously do,” Trump said July 11 on Fox News . “These officers are doing a tremendous job. They’re great patriots. If you expose them because of statements like have been made by Democrat and others on the left, usually mostly, I think, probably exclusively, you put them in great danger, tremendous danger.”
The proposed mask and identity concealment ban in Michigan would apply to all local, state and federal law enforcement operating in the state but includes provisions for covert operations and masking for officer safety.
Violating the proposed law would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000.
The proposed law mandates that law enforcement officers, while interacting with a member of the public during their duties, must display their name or badge number as well as the full name or initials of their law enforcement agency.
Any wearing of a mask or attempt at identity concealment would violate this provision.
The prohibition wouldn’t apply to undercover operations where an officer must conceal their identity or purpose to investigate and gather evidence of criminal activity.
Officers would also be allowed to wear a mask to prevent transmission of airborne diseases, to protect themselves from airborne toxins and to protect themselves from harm while in high-risk situations, including shootouts, standoffs, hostage or terrorist situations and more.
Coffia said ICE’s use of concealment has led to increased incidents of people committing crimes while pretending to be a law enforcement officer.
Law enforcement hiding their identity deviates from common state and local police practices in Michigan and is more akin to what would be seen in an authoritarian country, she said.
“The migrant workers and their families who for generations have worked with our local farmers and harvested and fed our communities and our country, they are living in fear today,” she said. “They are living in fear of being targeted by masked, unidentified armed men in unmarked vans who we are seeing the media of people being snatched all over the country.”
Police1 readers are weighing in on the broader issue of banning masked officers — see what they’re saying and share your opinion by clicking here.
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