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As California faces a deadline Friday to pass new laws for the year, police groups in the state are turning up pressure against a bill that attempts to ban law enforcement at nearly every level in California from wearing face coverings in most situations. The bill, SB 627, was filed by two Democratic state senators in response to images of federal immigration raids in which officers have been seen wearing masks. The state legislation attempts to enforce the ban against federal officers, which critics say is not legally possible. Police groups, including the Peace Officers Research Association of California and the California Police Chiefs Association, on Monday warned that the bill was recently changed to take away qualified immunity, or the legal protections provided to police under state law, from officers who “knowingly and willfully” violate the ban. In a letter sent to all state lawmakers and Gov. Newsom’s office on Monday, PORAC warned it could push officers to second-guess themselves and potentially put public safety at risk. “Without these protections, an officer would potentially be subject to civil suits against them personally for actions they took in good faith and based on information available at the time. For example, if an officer acting in good faith and based on current information arrests the wrong person, they are given immunity from being sued personally. Any erosion of existing immunity protections strikes at the core protections necessary for officers to operate safely and securely in California,” PORAC officials wrote. The bill was also recently changed to exempt the California Highway Patrol from the measure. Opponents said the legislation will end up solely punishing local law enforcement agencies for the actions of federal officers. “It’s not local law enforcement that’s engaging in those tactics,” said Jason Salazar, the President of the California Police Chiefs Association. “Our officers are following the law through good law enforcement and trying to provide public safety to our communities. This bill makes it harder to do that.” “As long as law enforcement are following the law and the policies set by their departments, they’ll have nothing to worry about under SB 627,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who wrote the proposal. “California has terrific law enforcement who are more than capable of following the policies set by their supervisors—all we’re asking is that they do so with regard to the extreme masking ICE and others have begun to deploy in recent months.” “They can pass all the laws they want. It’s more wishful thinking than an actual law,” U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector Chief, Gregory Bovino, told KCRA 3’s Ashley Zavala in a recent interview. Bovino said there has been a 1000% increase in federal officer assaults. “Whether they’re being doxxed or followed or whatever, I’m going to protect those agents, and face coverings make sense,” Bovino said. California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla has filed a proposal that would require federal immigration authorities to display legible identification during public-facing operations. It has been referred to the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee but is not yet scheduled for a hearing. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
As California faces a deadline Friday to pass new laws for the year, police groups in the state are turning up pressure against a bill that attempts to ban law enforcement at nearly every level in California from wearing face coverings in most situations.
The bill, SB 627, was filed by two Democratic state senators in response to images of federal immigration raids in which officers have been seen wearing masks. The state legislation attempts to enforce the ban against federal officers, which critics say is not legally possible.
Police groups, including the Peace Officers Research Association of California and the California Police Chiefs Association, on Monday warned that the bill was recently changed to take away qualified immunity, or the legal protections provided to police under state law, from officers who “knowingly and willfully” violate the ban.
In a letter sent to all state lawmakers and Gov. Newsom’s office on Monday, PORAC warned it could push officers to second-guess themselves and potentially put public safety at risk.
“Without these protections, an officer would potentially be subject to civil suits against them personally for actions they took in good faith and based on information available at the time. For example, if an officer acting in good faith and based on current information arrests the wrong person, they are given immunity from being sued personally. Any erosion of existing immunity protections strikes at the core protections necessary for officers to operate safely and securely in California,” PORAC officials wrote.
The bill was also recently changed to exempt the California Highway Patrol from the measure. Opponents said the legislation will end up solely punishing local law enforcement agencies for the actions of federal officers.
“It’s not local law enforcement that’s engaging in those tactics,” said Jason Salazar, the President of the California Police Chiefs Association. “Our officers are following the law through good law enforcement and trying to provide public safety to our communities. This bill makes it harder to do that.”
“As long as law enforcement are following the law and the policies set by their departments, they’ll have nothing to worry about under SB 627,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who wrote the proposal. “California has terrific law enforcement who are more than capable of following the policies set by their supervisors—all we’re asking is that they do so with regard to the extreme masking ICE and others have begun to deploy in recent months.”
“They can pass all the laws they want. It’s more wishful thinking than an actual law,” U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector Chief, Gregory Bovino, told KCRA 3’s Ashley Zavala in a recent interview. Bovino said there has been a 1000% increase in federal officer assaults.
“Whether they’re being doxxed or followed or whatever, I’m going to protect those agents, and face coverings make sense,” Bovino said.
California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla has filed a proposal that would require federal immigration authorities to display legible identification during public-facing operations. It has been referred to the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee but is not yet scheduled for a hearing.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
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