Should LEOs be allowed to wear masks on the job?

[nycfan]

Masked ICE and other law enforcement officials, many who also don’t wear uniforms or clearly display any official ID, are proliferating in Trump’s zeal to arrest immigrants.

Outside of situations requiring riot gear (when officers are usually decked out in official uniforms), should we be accepting of masked law enforcement? Outside of undercover operations, should law enforcement be performing official duties out of uniform and using unmarked vehicles?

It seems to me that the masking and unofficial/militia style attire (1) degrades public trust and (2) creates easy opportunities for criminals to exploit the militia-style presentation for their own purposes.

Wearing uniforms and not wearing masks didn’t prevent the Gestapo from being evil tyrants in their own time and place, so maskless uniforms is no guarantee.

But in a democracy, it seems like our law enforcement has to be as transparent as possible. And what we are seeing now looks more like private militia of some junta chieftain …

 

[finesse]

Only during a pandemic or a gas attack and then they should be mandatory.

 

[nycfan]

I hate the “Gestapo” references because I think the Nazi/Gestapo claims shut down conversations before they can begin. But this certainly looks like criminal activity rather than law enforcement…

 

[nycfan]

What are we doing as a nation?

 

[1moretimeagain]

 

[nycfan]

 

[nycfan]

 

[lawtig02]

I worry people won't care enough about this, but Trump and MAGA's approach to the Afghans who put their lives on the line to help us in that godforsaken war is, in my view, one of the most immoral things this country has done in decades. Trump wanted to leave every single one of those heroes behind, most of them to be tortured and murdered by the Taliban. As rough as the evacuation was, it is to Biden's eternal credit that he was able to get most of our partners out of the country. And now, Trump and his goons are trying to send them back. It's horrific. It's immoral. It's inhuman. I literally cannot believe anyone could support national policy like this.

 

[altmin]

fuck no

 

[BlooVooDoo]

I hate the “Gestapo” references because I think the Nazi/Gestapo claims shut down conversations before they can begin. But this certainly looks like criminal activity rather than law enforcement…

They look like damn near every door cam video of someone breaking into a house.
Between the plain clothes, unmarked vehicles (often without even government plates), masks and generally sketchy behavior, it’s only a matter of time before someone points a weapon at them. It might actually be a much higher risk of confrontation than no knock, door breaching searches at 3:00 am, and there are plenty of examples of innocent people getting killed in those situations.

 

[nycfan]

Here are photos from the arrest of militia members who were targeting a pride event in Idaho in 2022:





The guys being arrested here look more like the ICE patrols today …

 

[altmin]

Also waiting for one of these guys to be shot in 2nd Amendment America when they try to grab someone and it looks like a kidnapping that some "good guy with a gun" tries to foil.

 

[superrific]

Well, I'd ask you to change your thread title because these are not LEOs. This is ICE. Do not give them any credit. They break the law far more than they enforce it.

But otherwise 100%.

 

[BlooVooDoo]

Immigrants should mask up and wear long pants, long sleeves, sunglasses and ball caps. Maybe plate carriers with badges.

 

[superrific]

Also waiting for one of these guys to be shot in 2nd Amendment America when they try to grab someone and it looks like a kidnapping that some "good guy with a gun" tries to foil.

This is the point. That's when they declare martial law.

 

[dukeman92]

Hell no they shouldn't be allowd to cover their faces.

 

[Ramrouser]

They mask up to avoid doxing by left wing activists which, of course, puts them and their families at risk. If the left wing immigration activists would all agree to stop that practice, I'm sure the ICE agents would gladly refrain from masking up.

No mention of all the cosplay campus terrorists who mask up and completely cover their face and head during "protests' as they harass and intimidate Jewish students.

 

[Ramrouser]

I worry people won't care enough about this, but Trump and MAGA's approach to the Afghans who put their lives on the line to help us in that godforsaken war is, in my view, one of the most immoral things this country has done in decades. Trump wanted to leave every single one of those heroes behind, most of them to be tortured and murdered by the Taliban. As rough as the evacuation was, it is to Biden's eternal credit that he was able to get most of our partners out of the country. And now, Trump and his goons are trying to send them back. It's horrific. It's immoral. It's inhuman. I literally cannot believe anyone could support national policy like this.

Not all Afghan refugees brought here were translators and otherwise assisted helping the US in the Afghan war. Many Afghans were simply loaded up and brought here unvetted. We should definitely protect the former but not necessarily the later.

 

[lawtig02]

Not all Afghan refugees brought here were translators and otherwise assisted helping the US in the Afghan war. Many Afghans were simply loaded up and brought here unvetted. We should definitely protect the former but not necessarily the later.

 

[gtyellowjacket]

Masked ICE and other law enforcement officials, many who also don’t wear uniforms or clearly display any official ID, are proliferating in Trump’s zeal to arrest immigrants.

Outside of situations requiring riot gear (when officers are usually decked out in official uniforms), should we be accepting of masked law enforcement? Outside of undercover operations, should law enforcement be performing official duties out of uniform and using unmarked vehicles?

It seems to me that the masking and unofficial/militia style attire (1) degrades public trust and (2) creates easy opportunities for criminals to exploit the militia-style presentation for their own purposes.

Wearing uniforms and not wearing masks didn’t prevent the Gestapo from being evil tyrants in their own time and place, so maskless uniforms is no guarantee.

But in a democracy, it seems like our law enforcement has to be as transparent as possible. And what we are seeing now looks more like private militia of some junta chieftain …

I'm actually going to buck the trend and say the masks are acceptable for two reasons. First of all, these guys are people. They don't want to be doxxed by some nuts on reddit. Secondly, some of these guys would want to work undercover at some point. It isn't going to take too much effort to have an AI program do facial recognition on news clips as these guys arrest folks and compare it to that new connect that wants to sell me a bunch of drugs a few years from now. I could probably do it and I'm not that good.

I do think they should be in uniform and there should be some way to identify them such as a name tag or even a number that can be traced back if necessary. I certainly don't like the look of vigilantes arresting people as a matter of course because some agents don't want to wear a uniform. It makes these things look less like a professional law enforcement operation and more like a bunch of bounty hunters.

I don't blame these guys for doing what the elected bosses order them to do. We don't want them to have no accountability and do whatever the heck they want. But I do think they should do the arrests as humanely and professionally as possible.