Prohibits local, state and federal law enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties; excludes certain protective masks.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8908
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
July 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SIMONE, LASHER, VALDEZ, SHRESTHA, LEVENBERG --
read once and referred to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to prohibiting law
enforcement officers from wearing any mask or personal disguise while
interacting with the public in the performance of their duties
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 838-c
2 to read as follows:
3 § 838-c. Masks and disguises prohibited. 1. A law enforcement officer
4 shall not wear any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the
5 public in the performance of their duties, except for medical grade
6 masks that are surgical or N95 respirators designed to prevent the tran-
7 smission of airborne diseases, masks designed to protect against expo-
8 sure to smoke during a fire involved situation, masks necessary to
9 perform duties during a water rescue operation, masks related to
10 protection against exposure to biological or chemical agents during an
11 incident where such agents may be present, or masks designed to protect
12 against exposure to cold during a declared weather emergency.
13 2. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this section, special weapons
14 and tactics (SWAT) team officers are permitted to utilize gear necessary
15 to protect their faces from physical harm while they perform their SWAT
16 responsibilities.
17 3. All law enforcement officers shall be clearly identified by their
18 name or badge number on their uniforms.
19 4. For the purposes of this section, "law enforcement officer" shall
20 mean any officer of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency,
21 or any person acting on behalf of a local, state, or federal law
22 enforcement agency.
23 5. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a misdemeanor.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13411-02-5
A. 8908 2
1 § 2. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
2 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of
3 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,
4 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in
5 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section
6 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
7 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
8 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such
9 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
10 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
