The No Secret Police Act

[Harry Bosch]

Yea! Governor Newsome once again leads the way and has signed into law a bill banning ICE from wearing masks. Yea! I think that it's outrageous that they are allowed to wear masks. I see no good reason for ICE to wear masks. IMO, masks intimidate people, reduces accountability, and lowers public faith. I have family members that served and continue to serve as police officers. They are just as much hated as some people hate ice. And yet they proudly and bravely identify themselves in public and do not hide from people.

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area-ice-raids/ice-agents-masked-ban/

 

[bilby]

"Secret Police", in the traditional authoritarian state meaning of the phrase, refers not to police who obscure their identity while on duty (eg by wearing masks), but to what we today call 'undercover cops' - people who pretend to be ordinary citizens, but who are in fact agents of the state.

Undercover policing has some legitimate value - a policeman who can pose as a gangmember to gather evidence against the gang's leaders is useful in reducing organised crime.

But in authoritarian states the Secret Policeman is the guy in the pub or café, who reports back about the loudmouth who said rude things about the government or the dictator, so that they can later be privately arrested and "disappeared".

It is an excellent idea to force police and similar government agents or officials (when not undercover) to identify themselves so that individual officers who break the rules can be subjected to disciplinary action. But it is important to note that requiring such indentifiability is not the same thing as interdicting the establishment of a Secret Police.