The Threat Perception: Law Enforcement and Public Trust in Democracy

Law enforcement officers working in plain clothes or undercover is nothing new. What is new is that some officers are now hiding their faces behind masks and refusing to show identification. Following a surge in arrests by armed, masked federal immigration agents in unmarked cars, some California Democrats are backing a new bill in Congress that would bar officials from covering their faces while conducting raids unless the masks were required for their safety or their health. What’s led to the rise of masked policing? And is this what law enforcement should look like in a democracy? Former FBI agent Mike German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, joins USA TODAY’s The Excerpt to dig into those questions and more.

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