Virginia state Democratic lawmaker introduces bill to ban law enforcement from wearing masks

A Democratic Virginia delegate introduced a bill to ban law enforcement from wearing masks, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been wearing face coverings while arresting illegal immigrants.

Virginia Del. Michael Jones introduced legislation last month, ahead of the next Virginia General Assembly session that begins in January, that would ban most state and federal law enforcement officers from wearing items that conceal or obscure their face while working, WTOP reported Tuesday. The bill would allow for medical or surgical masks and helmets or other devices needed to protect officers against exposure to a gas, toxin, smoke, or inclement weather.

If a person is injured because of “the tortious conduct of a law-enforcement officer who knowingly and intentionally wears a facial covering,” then they can file a civil case for actual damages or $10,000, whichever is more, including attorney fees and costs, according to the bill. This would apply regardless of whether the officer has been charged with or convicted of the alleged violation.

Law enforcement officers who violate the mask ban would have committed a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless the agency they work for has a written policy for the use of face coverings.

Jones, whose district includes parts of the capital of Richmond and Chesterfield County, said he worked as a Richmond City Council member to ensure that residents felt comfortable calling 911 and taking advantage of services like flu vaccinations and back-to-school drives.

He said there was a fear “to engage with local services simply because of what we see going on now. What took me about six-and-a-half years to build was taken away and ripped away, ripped apart in six months.”

“As Americans, we have a basic right to know who’s policing our neighborhoods,” Jones told WTOP. “No one should be able to walk around claiming to be members of law enforcement and we cannot identify you. That is just not safe for anyone, for any of the parties involved.”

Jones said he has received reports of people impersonating officers, and that it’s not basic practice for Richmond or other nearby police departments to have officers working in masks, even when serving warrants.

As for the enforcement of such a ban, Jones said local lawmakers can’t “supersede federal law.”

“We need for the measure that has been introduced at the federal level to go through,” he added.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that ICE officers “wear masks to protect themselves and their families from being doxed. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism. Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals are simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens.”