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Denver committee weighs ordinance to bar identity-concealing masks by officers
Summary
The Denver City Council Budget & Policy Committee reviewed a proposal to prohibit law-enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings that conceal identity during arrests, with exemptions for tactical, medical and safety uses; legal counsel cautioned federal preemption risks and asked for DPD briefings on enforcement.
A Denver City Council committee on Monday reviewed a proposed ordinance that would ban law-enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings that conceal their identities while detaining, arresting, or physically restraining people and inside city facilities.
Committee chair Amanda Sandoval opened discussion on the measure, framed by presenters as both a constitutional and moral question rooted in the city’s 2017 Public Safety Priorities Act. The presentation said masked enforcement can undermine due process, erode trust in local policing and enable impersonation, citing a federal judge’s written view that concealment can be used to "terrorize Americans into compliance." (Presenter: S6/S7.)
The draft ordinance, as described to the Budget & Policy Committee, would define identity-concealing facial…
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