Westchester Petition for Safe and Identifiable Law Enforcement
The Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) and The Westchester County Executive
Over the past year, residents of Westchester County have reported multiple incidents involving masked, unidentified plainclothes ICE agents conducting enforcement actions in residential neighborhoods, near schools, and around community spaces. These operations often involved agents wearing face coverings, tactical masks, or plain clothing without any visible identification.
These incidents have caused fear, confusion, and trauma, especially among children and among immigrant families who already feel vulnerable. When armed individuals approach homes or community spaces without identifying themselves, the public cannot distinguish between law-enforcement personnel, impersonators, criminals, or potential threats. This creates a dangerous environment for children, families, and responding officers alike.
Other states have already taken action. In 2025, California enacted a statewide transparency law prohibiting masked, unidentified law-enforcement operations except in narrowly defined undercover criminal investigations, recognizing the serious risks these tactics pose to public trust and community safety.
With ICE publicly stating intentions to increase enforcement activities in New York City and Westchester, it is critical that our county adopt clear, commonsense standards requiring all law-enforcement officers - federal, state, or local - to visibly identify themselves and refrain from concealing their identities when operating in our community.
This petition calls on the Westchester County Board of Legislators and the Westchester County Executive to pass a county ordinance establishing these transparency protections, with appropriate exceptions for medical necessity and legitimate undercover criminal operations.
Our families, children, and neighbors deserve to feel safe in their own communities.
Sponsored by
To:
The Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) and The Westchester County Executive
From:
[Your Name]
We, the undersigned residents, parents, educators, faith leaders, youth, and community organizations of Westchester County, affirm a basic principle essential to public trust and family safety:
No armed law-enforcement agent - federal, state, or local - should operate in our communities while concealing their identity, except in clearly defined, officially sanctioned undercover criminal investigations.
Over the past year, residents throughout Westchester have witnessed masked, unidentified plainclothes agents carrying out enforcement operations in neighborhoods, near schools, and around trusted community spaces. These incidents have caused fear, confusion, and lasting trauma-particularly for children and immigrant families who already feel vulnerable.
Regardless of one’s political views, our community deserves transparency, accountability, and safety when law-enforcement officers operate here. When armed individuals approach homes or children without visible identification, families cannot distinguish between law-enforcement personnel, impersonators, criminals, or other potential threats. This undermines public trust and places everyone at risk.
We call for the following measures:
1. A Westchester County ordinance requiring that any law-enforcement officer operating in the county (federal, state, or local) must:
a) Display clear identifying information – such as a badge number, name, or alphanumeric identifier – on the outermost layer of clothing, on the chest and/or back – clearly visible and legible from at least 10 feet
b) Refrain from wearing facial coverings that conceal their identity,
unless:
* the covering is medically necessary or required by a public health mandate, in which case identifying information must still be prominently displayed, or
* the officer is engaged in a pre-approved, officially sanctioned, ongoing undercover criminal investigation, as defined by the Westchester County District Attorney or the New York State Attorney General.
c) If a federal agency (e.g., ICE or CBP): That Westchester County and New York State shall use all available legal, administrative, and cooperative mechanisms to request, encourage, and facilitate adherence to these identification standards by federal agencies operating within the county.
2. A New York State law establishing these same standards statewide, modeled on transparency legislation already enacted in California.
These measures protect:
* children, who should never be confronted by masked, unidentified armed agents
* families, who deserve clarity, safety, and dignity in their own homes
* immigrant communities, who experience disproportionate fear and confusion
* faith communities, whose members require trust and stability
* schools and educators, responsible for student well-being
* public safety itself, which depends on visible, accountable authority
This is not a partisan issue. This is a child protection, family safety, and community trust issue.
We urge our local mayors, the Westchester County Board of Legislators, and our representatives in Albany to act swiftly by implementing these transparency requirements.
We stand together-parents, youth, clergy, educators, and neighbors-united in calling for a safer, more accountable Westchester County where every family can feel secure.