Nassau County Police Make First Arrest Using Mask Ban
Nassau County Police Make First Arrest Using Mask Ban
The Facts
Police in Nassau County, a suburb of New York City, announced on Tuesday that they had made their first arrest relating to a new local law banning the wearing of face masks.
Police officials described responding Sunday to reports of a suspicious person near the town line between Levittown and Hicksville. Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo, a teenager, was found wearing black clothing and a black ski mask that left just his eyes unobscured.
The Spin
This arrest is a great example of how the mask ban was intended to work. Police were able to interrogate someone under the parameters of the ban and then apprehend a dangerous criminal. There should be a statewide ban on masks in order to crack down on criminals who want to obscure their identity.
All this law does is give law enforcement agencies — that are already known for a history of discrimination and excessive aggression — more leeway to violate people's civil rights. Something as benign as wearing a mask should not fall into the police's "reasonable suspicion" power. This law is ripe for abuse.
