Two police officers from Denver, Colorado, have recently been criticized by residents for wearing masks during operations. Denver’s laws forbid officers from covering their faces, so this sparked backlash on social media.
According to reports from Denverite, two officers used masks to hide their identities during a drug operation in North Denver. The issue was raised by a local resident who called the Colorado Rapid Response Network’s hotline to report suspected ICE activity, only to find out that the individuals were actually police officers.
Police Chief Ron Thomas explained that the two officers were working undercover and wanted to conceal their identities, but the operation nonetheless sparked major backlash. The chief also described the overlap between local police and ICE tactics as “unfortunate.” A spokesperson later said that the department would continue to use face coverings when deemed necessary.
Denver Police Officers Criticized for Wearing Face Masks
Local reaction on Reddit’s r/Denver was not positive toward the officers. Multiple users complained, “How do we even know these are cops?”, arguing that this is bad for people who are rightfully afraid of ICE agents.
Others slammed the police, making fun of the officers: “I don’t think having ‘Police’ plastered on their chest hides them from being undercover.” Some folks seemed irritated, arguing that these officers have “the notion that the law doesn’t apply to them.”
Some Colorado residents seemed especially irritated when comparing the situation to the COVID-19 epidemic: “They won’t wear masks to protect the people around them when there’s a [expletive] disease ripping through society, but they’ll sure as hell wear them when they wanna hide their identities.”
One seemingly frustrated user asked, “Who polices the police?” Someone else responded by pointing out what people can do in these situations when they believe that police behavior is unfair: “The Health and Safety Committee, which is made up of city council members. They have the power to enforce policy changes on the police. They can fire people. They meet every Wednesday at 10 am. You can join via Zoom. If you don’t want to attend the meeting, call your city council member.”
If local police in the Colorado city continue to wear face masks during operations, it is likely that the controversy will persist, and it remains to be seen whether more cases of masked officers will appear over the next few months.
