Police, public on opposing sides of Juneau lawmaker’s bill banning officers from wearing masks
- Mark Sabbatini
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Open testimony on HB 250 features opposition by Anchorage police chief and two residents; 13 people and two nonprofits offer support, with some seeking additional restrictions
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
People testifying in favor of a bill banning police from wearing masks to conceal their identities spoke mostly about what they’re worried could happen. Anchorage’s police chief, among the very few opposing the bill, raised concerns about what has already been happening to his officers for a long time.
The first hearing featuring open public testimony on House Bill 250 by Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, was held by the House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Eight residents spoke in favor of the bill and the Anchorage chief was the lone dissenter, while testimony submitted in writing as of the hearing was 7-2 in favor of the bill.
Hannan has stated she introduced the bill to promote public trust in law enforcement in the wake of large-scale deployments of federal officers to some U.S. cities by President Donald Trump, resulting in widespread reports of abuses including the killing of two people in Minneapolis last month. The bill prohibits masks or disguises intended to conceal identity, with some exceptions for circumstances such as undercover work, medical situations and cold weather.
Some people testifying in favor of the bill Tuesday said they feared similar deployments and circumstances in Alaska, but haven’t encountered that so far.
"I think that the public is responding to the fact that within the past year we've seen changes in this country that we never imagined would happen before," said Laura Lucas, a Juneau resident. "So I see this legislation as potentially proactive for an issue that might arise in Alaska."
Also, Lucas said, de-escalation training she received as a social worker suggests that masks inhibit the key skill of communicating clearly with people, and instill fear in the person being confronted and embolden the officer because they feel the mask protects anonymity.
A counterargument to the bill was offered by Anchorage Police Department Chief Sean Case, who noted officers have been wearing name tags since 1974. He said they continue doing so even though officers are under threat both on- and off-duty, especially during situations such as "riots that originated from police use-of-force incidents."
"The fear in some cases, and the reality of violence, harassment and stalking after these incidents is prevalent," he told the committee. "And yet we keep our faces uncovered, our name tags visible and we wear a badge with pride because we take an oath to protect everyone in our community."
In response to Hannan’s argument HB 250 is intended to improve trust in police, Case said imposing a mandatory mask ban suggests "police cannot govern themselves, which undermines confidence in our profession."
"It attempts to solve a nonexistent issue while inserting local law enforcement into a debate about federal immigration enforcement — something outside our role of responsibility," he said.
A written comment opposing the bill for similar reasons was submitted by Ketchikan resident Pamela Leask.
"Please don’t take this tool from law enforcement," she wrote. "This helps officers avoid harassment not only to themselves but their families."
A couple of people speaking in favor of the bill Tuesday said they want changes putting further restrictions on officers. James Manning, a Fairbanks resident, said he wants wearing masks while committing a crime such as assault to be a felony. James Aldrich, also testifying from Fairbanks, said that for federal immigration officers in particular he wants to see mandatory badges, standardized uniforms and judge-issued warrants for enforcement actions.
Tuesday’s hearing was the second for the bill this session and at least one more hearing is planned by the State Affairs Committee, which is expected to include further discussion by committee members. The bill has a further referral to the House Judiciary Committee.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
