Senate committee advances 'No Secret Police Act' to bar masked enforcement in California

Senator Wiener, author of Senate Bill 627, told the Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety on Sept. 11 that SB 627 — the "No Secret Police Act" — would prohibit local and federal law enforcement from concealing their faces while conducting operations in California, with specified exemptions for medical and safety gear, certain undercover operations and SWAT teams.

The bill’s sponsor said the measure would require law enforcement agencies to maintain and publicly post a written policy about facial coverings and would create two enforcement mechanisms: a criminal offense (described in committee debate as a "wobbler"/"wobblet" for violations) and a civil cause of action, including statutory damages for certain torts. “SB 6 27 prohibits local and federal law enforcement from covering their faces while conducting…