PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers won't ban state and local police from being masked during routine duties.
On a party-line vote, the Republican-controlled House rejected a proposal by Rep. Mariana Sandoval to spell out that police agencies must have a written policy that prevents the routine use of masks.
The proposal by the Goodyear Democrat was written to include some exceptions. But Sandoval told colleagues there needs to be some basic understanding of when masks are — and are not — appropriate.
"The purpose of this amendment is simple: transparency, accountability and public trust,'' she said.
"Peace officers are entrusted with significant authority including the power to detain, arrest and use force,'' Sandoval said. "With that authority comes responsibility: to remain identifiable to the public when they serve.''
Conversely, she said, having police routinely wear masks undermines both transparency and community trust.
The issue has arisen because of the widespread use of masks by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. And it has come under closer scrutiny in the wake of multiple videos showing masked ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers apparently assaulting civilians, including U.S. citizens, including the shooting deaths of two citizens in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Federal officials have insisted the masks are necessary to keep ICE officers from being "doxxed'' — having their identities and the addresses of their families made public. But the policy also has led to charges that officers, protected by anonymity, have been abusive.
Sandoval's proposal would not have affected federal officers, who are beyond state regulation. But she wanted to make sure the practice of masking does not spread to state and local officers.
She questioned the need for covering faces, and pointed out that several law enforcement agencies in Arizona already have policies to preclude the routine use of masks.
Tucson police, for example, issued a statement last month saying officers responding to calls or conducting enforcement actions "are not permitted to wear face coverings.'' The policy also says officers will provide their name, badge number and show their department-issued identification card with their photograph "to any person who requests it, whenever possible under the circumstances.''
Phoenix has a similar policy.
And Lt. Col. Daven Byrd of the Arizona Department of Public Safety has issued a directive that his highway patrol officers will not wear face masks or otherwise hide their identities.
Other agencies have a different approach.
Greenlee County Sheriff Eric Ellison said his office does not have such a policy. But he said masking would not be allowed as part of normal operations as long as he is in office.
And the Flagstaff Police Department put out a statement after the killing by federal officers of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis saying officers will not wear full-face coverings "except when needed in inclement weather.'' The department also said that if people come across someone in a face covering or who lacks clear identification on clothing, "the public has the right to question that individual's identity.''
Sandoval said a policy against masking makes sense.
"Requiring clear identification protects both the public and law enforcement officers and promotes professionalism, reinforces accountability, and helps to ensure that interactions between officers and community members are grounded in mutual trust,'' she said.
Since Democrats generally can't get their proposals heard in the Republican-controlled Legislature, Sandoval sought to attach her language to House Bill 2862. That is a proposal by Prescott Valley Republican Rep. Quang Nguyen to require a stiffer penalty if people commit certain crimes while masked.
But Sandoval never got a chance to get a full debate in the House. That is because the Republican majority used a procedural maneuver to replace her amendment with an entirely different one.
And when she tried to overturn that tactic, all the Republicans on the House floor voted to reject her move.
