DE HB 366

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Description

This Act prohibits law-enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings that obscure the identity of the individual wearing them in the course of their duties, with exceptions for undercover operations and exigent circumstances. This Act ensures that law enforcement officers in Delaware cannot wear masks or facial coverings that hide their identity when they are carrying out their official duties. Our community deserves to know who is enforcing the law, and clear identification is essential to building trust between residents and law enforcement. When law enforcement officers are acting in public and exercising authority, people should be able to see their faces. This improves accountability, strengthens public confidence, and makes Delaware safer for everyone. The bill defines “facial covering” to include items like balaclavas, ski masks, or tactical masks that obscure the face. It does not ban protective equipment such as medical masks, respirators, or breathing devices that officers need for health and safety, nor does it interfere with undercover operations that require anonymity. It also specifically exempts undercover operations that occur during the course of a criminal investigation or for SWAT teams that are specially trained police units used in high-risk situations that go beyond the capacity of regular patrol officers. This Act serves to empower Delaware law enforcement officers to intervene and verify the identity of any person claiming or otherwise acting as law enforcement while wearing a facial covering, but nothing in this Act diminishes the discretion of law enforcement officers to determine whether it is appropriate to stop or charge any person.