SEATTLE —Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has introduced a new ordinance seeking to prohibit the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers, mandating that all officers display visible emblems and badges identifying their agency while performing enforcement duties.
The mayor’s office announcedthe ordinanceon Wednesday, which targets face coverings such as masks, garments, helmets, headgear, or any item that conceals an individual’s facial identity, including balaclavas, tactical masks, gators, and ski masks.
The increaseduse of masks and plainclothes officers has led to multiple arrests across the country of civilians impersonating federal immigration enforcement officials, posing a real public safety threat to communities, the city said.
If passed, Seattle would become the first city in Washington and one of the first major cities in the U.S. to implement such a mask ban.
“Federal law enforcement officials operating in Seattle are not above the laws of our city. The Trump administration’s tactic of using masked, unidentified agents to carry out their inhumane deportation agenda with impunity not only erodes accountability but also sows fear in our communities and creates a dangerous possibility for copycat actors. In the face of Trump’s tyrannical militarization of American cities, this ordinance is a concrete step we can take to uphold our local values and protect our immigrant and refugee communities from these unjust actions. My administration remains committed to using every tool at our disposal to protect the safety and dignity of our residents from federal overreach.”
Exceptions are made for medical or surgical masks to prevent disease transmission and respirators for protection against toxins or environmental hazards.
Violations of the ordinance by law enforcement officers or agencies could result in a civil penalty of $5,000, according to city officials. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will be responsible for enforcing the ordinance.
Additionally, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is developing guidelines for officers responding to emergency calls involving masked or unidentified individuals who detain people.
“Our officers’ appearance will be consistent when someone calls 9-1-1 for help and Seattle police officers are dispatched. They will show up ready to serve the public with their faces uncovered and their SPD badge and name proudly displayed,” said Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. “At our core, we are peace officers, and our goal is to protect people and keep the peace.”In a related move, the city is developing an ordinance to prohibit the staging and operations of federal immigration activities on city-owned properties. The ordinance aims to prevent federal immigration enforcement from using city spaces, such as parking lots, for staging purposes, a practice observed in other cities like Chicago, city officials said.
트위터 공유: 시애틀 경찰 마스크 벗고 투명성 높인다