Joint Statement on S.208 (Law Enforcement Identification)

Dear Members of the Vermont House of Representatives,

We are asking you to vote to include federal officials in S.208 when it comes to the floor. The goal of the bill as introduced was to ensure all law enforcement officers in the State of Vermont were properly identified and were not using face coverings to conceal their identity. The House Judiciary Amendment to S.208 removed requirements for federal officials and struck statutory requirements in favor of having the Law Enforcement Advisory Board create a statewide model policy. These modifications go against the original intent of the bill, and we ask the House to move forward with a version of the bill that also includes requirements for federal officials.

While similar laws have faced hurdles to implementation in other states, there has been no decision in our federal circuit to tell us definitively how a court would rule on constitutional questions implicated by this bill. Further, similar restrictions have either passed or are soon to be passed by our second circuit neighbors Connecticut and New York. This is not an instance where Vermont would be on our own in enacting these protections for our citizens, rather we would be joining a growing number of states that recognize these are best practices we should require of all law enforcement.

Our community is looking for its elected officials to do what they can to protect our neighbors and stand up against this federal administration’s cruel and unlawful actions. We appreciate the efforts this legislature has already taken, such as passing H.849 and advancing S.209, and ask that the House continue to support these protective initiatives by including requirements for federal officials in S.208.

Sincerely,

American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont

Migrant Justice

Vermont Asylum Assistance Project

Vermont Public Interest Research Group