KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.
Jackson County legislators held a public meeting Tuesday night about a proposed ordinance that would prohibit law enforcement officers from hiding their faces and badges.
The goal of the ordinance is to increase transparency and accountability in law enforcement,
The ordinance drew opposition from law enforcement leaders and other county legislators.
The proposed ordinance would include all law enforcement officers, even with a possible name change pointing to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The ordinance would be named for Renee Nicole Good, the former Kansas City, Missouri, woman shot and killed in Minneapolis by an ICE agent.
Despite some opposition on social media and in public statements, every person who spoke at Tuesday night's public meeting shared their support for the ordinance. Some speakers said it's not enough.
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Jackson County considers ordinance requiring law officers to show faces, badges
Blue Springs resident Antoine Jennings was one of those who want more from the measure. Jennings called on local officials to do more.
"I appreciate the framework and the foundation, but it does not go far enough," Jennings said. "We have a federal government that is arbitrarily doing whatever it wants to do and we just can have it. We can't have it. So if the federal government is not going to do their part, we have to do our part locally."
Jennings said this is the time to make your voice heard because he said ICE is already impacting the Kansas City community.
"The fact that churches. The fact that schools. The fact that hospitals are not off limits, I will stand up for these babies as if they are my own," Jennings said.
However, Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith expressed skepticism about the ordinance's effectiveness and legality when KSHB 41 spoke with him on January 12.
"I don't think that telling them they can't wear a mask is going to be effective," Smith said.
Smith cited concerns from law enforcement agencies about the proposal's ability to be enforced.
"We've heard from the sheriff's department, we've heard from the prosecutor that it's probably not legally enforceable and that they wouldn't enforce it," Smith said.
Smith argued that officers wear face coverings out of safety concerns, noting fears of being identified and targeted.
"If people weren't filming them and trying to out them and come to their homes and harm them, they wouldn't be wearing masks," Smith said.
Four county legislators attended the meeting, while other county and state officials watched on Zoom.
There were roughly 100 people who attended the Tuesday night's meeting.
County Legislature Chairman Manny Abarca said the ordinance could be voted on in the coming weeks
If passed by the county legislature, the ordinance will be sent to the county executive's office for approval.
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