Portland City Council passed a “Right to Know Who’s Policing You” ordinance requiring police to avoid masks and keep faces visible while displaying agency identification. The ordinance also requires city police to verify the identity of other law enforcement officers when it is unclear whether someone is a sworn agent or an impersonator. Officers must document these encounters to track how often other agencies do not follow local rules and to record where other agencies operate. Exceptions allow masking for specific operations, including preventing illness spread and during freezing weather. The City Council or mayor’s office can initiate a lawsuit seeking injunctive relief if agencies do not comply with local policies. The measure was prompted by federal immigration agents appearing in plain clothes with half-covered faces and no visible badge or ID.
"In addition to prohibiting all police from wearing masks and requiring them to have visible identification, the legislation-which Kanal began crafting last September-also instructs city police officers to verify the identity of other law enforcement officers if it's unclear whether someone is a sworn agent or an impersonator. The new ordinance also requires local police to document those encounters, as a tool for logging how frequently other law enforcement agencies aren't cooperating with local rules, and to track where other agencies are operating."
"There will be exceptions to the masking rules for specific operations, such as masks being worn to stop the spread of illness, and during freezing weather. Under the new legislation, the City Council or mayor's office can initiate a lawsuit seeking injunctive relief if law enforcement agencies aren't abiding by the local policies."
"The ordinance, co-sponsored by Councilors Angelita Morillo and Elana Pirtle-Guiney, was largely in response to federal immigration agents wearing masks to hide their faces, often while also donned in plain clothes with no visible badge or ID."
"“You have a right to know that law enforcement agencies are operating transparently and accountably,” Kanal said during an April 30 City"
#police-transparency #body-worn-identification #masking-restrictions #immigration-enforcement #accountability-and-oversight
Read at Portland Mercury
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