Baltimore County proposal to ban law enforcement officers from wearing masks fails
A Baltimore County bill aimed at preventing immigration and other law enforcement officers from wearing masks while on duty was voted down by councilmembers on Monday.
Councilmember Izzy Patoka, who authored the measure, says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers wearing masks create fear in communities.
He says all law enforcement officers -- at the local, state and federal level -- should be required to show their faces as they go about their duties in the county.
Patoka is also advocating for a similar bill in the state legislature, which would ban ICE agents from wearing masks statewide.
According to Patoka, his colleagues and county police pushed back against the bill, fearing that local authorities would be associated with federal agents.
"They were concerned that they didn't want to be blamed for the same behavior that ICE has been blamed for, the unprofessional behavior of a so-called law enforcement entity like ICE," Patoka said.
The bill's failure came as a disappointment to some neighbors in Baltimore County.
"It's just another disheartening piece of news in this day and age," Baltimore County resident Kat Fisher said.
Proposed mask ban bill in Maryland
A similar bill stands in Maryland's House of Delegates. It has been approved by the state's Senate.
The bill would ban law enforcement and federal agents from wearing masks while on duty, except for when actively engaged in an undercover operation.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has previously stated he believes even if the state House bill does become law, the state could face legal troubles.
Some Marylanders said that if other law enforcement agents can reveal themselves, so can ICE officers.
"Police officers aren't running around with masks on, military not walking around with masks on, so why are you walking around with a mask on?" a Baltimore County resident said.
ICE has previously said that officers wear masks for safety and anti-doxing, and protection for their families. Officials have also credited the increase in attacks on officers as another reason.
"If that's a tool that the men and women of ICE to keep themselves and their family safe, then I will allow it," acting ICE director Todd Lyons said last July.
Bill to prevent private detention facilities
In February, Baltimore County's council passed an emergency bill prohibiting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from leasing facilities to be used as detention centers. County officials learned that the U.S. General Services Administration leased office space in Cockeysville, Maryland.
Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier's office told WJZ they aren't sure what work is being done at the location, but they don't believe it to be a detention center.
However, the bill is a preventative measure to stop any private detention facilities in the future.
"In Baltimore County, protecting the safety, dignity, and rights of our community is our top priority," Klausmeier stated. "This legislation responds to a troubling national pattern of immigrant families being detained in facilities that have opened without notice or consideration of community impact."
Klausmeier added, "The presence of such facilities can disrupt local businesses, strain public safety resources, and create significant disruption for surrounding communities."
Restricting local cooperation with ICE
In February, the Baltimore County Council passed two other bills that it says increase protections for immigrant communities.
The council voted to establish an Office of Immigrant Affairs, which be tasked with advising the council on ways to improve resources for immigrants and how to coordinate county and state policies. It would also compile information about the needs of immigrant communities as well as advocate for policy changes and equitable access to government services.
Another bill passed by the council prevents county employees and agencies, including police, from helping ICE agents with immigration enforcement.
Under the bill, county employees would not be allowed to help ICE with collecting or distributing information about a person's immigration status. Under the same bill, employees and agencies are prohibited from asking about a person's citizenship, nationality or immigration status unless the person is applying for a passport, voter registration or to become a sworn officer.
