AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 9, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 24, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 16, 2025
SENATE BILL No. 627
Introduced by Senators Wiener, Arreguín, and Pérez
(Coauthor: Senator Caballero)
(Coauthors: Senators Becker, Caballero, Gonzalez, McNerney, and Smallwood-Cuevas)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Carrillo, Elhawary, Kalra, and Lee) Lee, and Rogers)
February 20, 2025
An act to add Section 185.5 Sections 185.5, 13653.1, and 13653.2 to the Penal Code, relating to law enforcement.
legislative counsel’s digest
SB 627, as amended, Wiener. Law enforcement: masks.
Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to wear a mask, false whiskers, or any personal disguise, as specified, with the purpose of evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification while committing a public offense, or for concealment, flight, evasion, or escape from arrest or conviction for any public offense.
This bill would make it a crime for a law enforcement officer to wear any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the performance of their duties, except as specified. The bill would exempt an officer engaged in an undercover assignment from these provisions.
The bill would define law enforcement officer as any officer of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, or any person acting on behalf 96 AR 10
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would also require state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies to provide advance notice to any other law enforcement agencies in a jurisdiction in which they will be operating if the planned operation will likely include agency personnel masking, disguising, or otherwise concealing their identities from the public for any reason, as specified.
The bill would require state and local law enforcement agencies, on or before July 1, 2026, to adopt a policy to prohibit the use of face masks and disguises by officers, except as specified.
By imposing additional duties on local law enforcement agencies, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.
This bill would declare its provisions to be severable.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimb urse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
V ote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
line 1 SECTION 1. Section 185.5 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
line 2 185.5. (a) A law enforcement officer shall not wear any mask line 3 or personal disguise while interacting with the public in the line 4 performance of their duties, except for medical grade masks that line 5 are surgical or N95 respirators designed to prevent the transmission line 6 of airborne diseases, masks designed to protect against exposure 96 — 2 — SB 627
line 1 to smoke during a state of emergency related to wildfires, or line 2 protective gear used by Special Weapons and Tactics (SW AT) line 3 team officers necessary to protect their faces from harm while they line 4 perform their SW AT responsibilities.
line 5 (b) This section does not apply to an officer while they are line 6 engaged in an undercover assignment.
line 7 (c) (1) A violation of this section by any person acting on behalf line 8 of a local, state or federal agency, that is not a sworn peace officer line 9 or agent, shall be a misdemeanor.
line 10 (2) A violation of this section by a sworn peace officer of a line 11 local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, or an agent of a line 12 state, local, or federal agency, shall be an infraction. A second or line 13 subsequent violation shall be an infraction or a misdemeanor. line 14 (d) (1) For the purposes of this section, “law enforcement line 15 officer” means any officer of a local, state, or federal law line 16 enforcement agency, or any person acting on behalf of a local, line 17 state, or federal law enforcement agency.
line 18 (2) For the purposes of this section, “mask or personal disguise” line 19 does not include a face shield if it does not conceal the wearer’s line 20 face.
line 21 (e) The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision line 22 of this section or its application is held in valid, that invalidity shall line 23 not af fect other provisions or applications that can be given effect line 24 without the in valid provision or application.
line 25 SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to line 26 Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because line 27 the only costs that may be incurred by a local agenc y or school line 28 district will be incurred because this act creates a ne w crime or line 29 infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty line 30 for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of line 31 the Go vernment Code, or changes the definition of a crime within line 32 the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California line 33 Constitution.
line 34 SEC. 2. Section 13653.1 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
line 35 13653.1. On or before July 1, 2026, all state and local law line 36 enforcement agencies in the state shall adopt policies to prohibit line 37 the use of face masks and disguises by officers, with exceptions line 38 for undercover and Special Weapons and Tactics assignments, line 39 and appropriate face shields.
line 40 SEC. 3. Section 13653.2 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
96 SB 627 — 3 —
line 1 13653.2. State, local, and federal law enforcement agencies line 2 shall provide advance notice to any other law enforcement agencies line 3 in a jurisdiction in which they will be operating if the planned line 4 operation will likely include agency personnel masking, disguising, line 5 or otherwise concealing their identities from the public for any line 6 reason. This notice shall be given sufficiently in advance to prevent line 7 danger to law enforcement officers based on mistaken identities line 8 and shall include when and where they will be operating, their line 9 planned actions, and the approximate time and duration of the line 10 action.
line 11 SEC. 4. The provisions of this act are severable. If any line 12 provision of this act or its application is held invalid, that invalidity line 13 shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given line 14 effect without the invalid provision or application. line 15 SEC. 5. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to line 16 Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution for certain line 17 costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district line 18 because, in that regard, this act creates a new crime or infraction, line 19 eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime line 20 or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the line 21 Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the line 22 meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California line 23 Constitution.
line 24 However, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that line 25 this act contains other costs mandated by the state, reimbursement line 26 to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made line 27 pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division line 28 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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96 — 4 — SB 627