BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Baltimore County Council proposal aimed at stopping what its sponsor called “widespread panic” failed Monday, ending Councilman Izzy Patoka’s push to ban face masks for law enforcement officers and require visible identification.
Patoka’s bill would have prohibited face masks not only for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, but also for Baltimore County police officers, and would have required officers to visibly display identification. Patoka criticized ICE tactics, saying, “There’s no excuse for ICE behavior, wearing mask, creating terror…It’s not how a law enforcement entity ought to act.”
The measure never gained much traction and drew debate at a recent Fraternal Order of Police meeting Patoka attended. During that discussion, a speaker challenged the proposal, saying, “The fact that Baltimore County officers only wear face mask for safety reasons or harsh weather conditions plus for the fact that by law, we’re required to wear name badges, with our last name and ID number on them. Are you going to pull your bill?”
Patoka responded by narrowing his focus to ICE while acknowledging the bill’s broader reach was tied to legal concerns.