Statement on Committee Approval of Law Enforcement ICE Identification Ordinance

I want to thank the members of the Public Safety and Health Committee for their unanimous support today of Common Council file #251797 – a substitute ordinance relating to law enforcement identification.

As the primary sponsor of the legislation, I think it is great that the committee members agree about the heightened importance of this matter in these unprecedented times – as a means of preventing masked ICE agents in Milwaukee – and saw fit to recommend the legislation for approval. The file now goes to the full Council at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24.

This ordinance (which is part of the ICE Out legislative package) prohibits law enforcement officers, when acting in an official capacity, from wearing masks or face coverings and requires that both agency and individualized identification be worn. It also requires that law enforcement vehicles clearly display agency identification. Law enforcement officers engaged in an undercover assignment are exempt from the requirements of this section.

Face coverings may be worn when occupational health and safety regulations require the use of a mask or face covering to protect against hazardous conditions.

In a free society, law enforcement officers should almost never wear masks – that is something that we sadly see in footage from demonstrations or events in places where repressive, authoritarian regimes are in power.

Again, I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation and I look forward to March 24.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.