Police

Nassau County Police Make First Arrest Using Mask Ban

AUG 29 2024·Updated SEP 5 2024

Story

Image credit: AITFFan1 via Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

Police in Nassau County, a suburban county within the New York metropolitan area, announced on Tuesday that they had made their first arrest relating to a new local law banning the wearing of face masks.
ap
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.
ap
Police stated that Ramirez Castillo was discovered carrying a 14-inch knife. He was arraigned Monday on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration, and violating the Mask Transparency Act.
USA Today
The Mask Transparency Act is a Nassau County law that makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to wear a face covering in public for reasons other than health or religion. The law carries a penalty of up to a $1K fine, up to a year in jail, or both.
nytimes
The GOP-majority Nassau County Legislature passed the mask ban on August 5 and it was signed into law August 14. After Ramirez Castillo's arrest, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman credited the law for giving "police another tool to stop this dangerous criminal."
FOX News
The new face mask law has resulted in one federal class action lawsuit, alleging that the statute violates the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and New York law by denying disabled individuals equal access to public life.
wapo

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The Spin

Right narrative

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.

New York Post

Left narrative

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.