Governor Ferguson signs bill banning masked officers during official duties

Governor Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5855 at El Centro de la Raza, saying the measure prohibits law enforcement, including federal immigration agents, from wearing masks while conducting official business in Washington state and establishes transparency and public-accountability measures.

Senator Javier Valdez, the bill's prime sponsor, described local incidents of masked officers and said the public "deserves to know who you are," citing more than 14,014 Washingtonians who signed in favor of related measures during committee review. Valdez recounted an Aurora Avenue incident in his district in which masked officials detained a man who had a small child in the car; he described the incident as an example of why the law was needed.

Representative Julio Cortez, who carried the measure in the House, said the bill aims to restore trust and make public-facing policing interactions safer for all communities. Bridal Chavez, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, described the organization's legal work and called the law an important state action to protect immigrant communities from intimidation.

Ferguson said the bill would enhance public accountability and protect both the public and law enforcement by clarifying identity during official duties. After brief remarks from sponsors and advocates, Ferguson signed the measure, used several pens for sponsors and posed for photographs to conclude the event.

The signing was ceremonial; the transcript records no additional implementation steps or agency directives at the event.