Bowser on masked federal agents: 'There's no reason for any official to wear a mask'

DC mayor pushes back on federal takeover

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser answered questions on the federal enforcement surge and immigration crackdown at a back-to-school event in the District.

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser answered questions on the federal enforcement surge and immigration crackdown at a back-to-school event in the District. 

Bowser met Tuesday with DEA Admin Terry Cole and Stephen Miller. 

"We did a lot of listening about concerns that they have about policing and making sure that they have the tools that they need to do their job," said Bowser. "We listened to them about other ways that I can support them as their big boss."

Federal agents masked in DC

What they're saying:

Federal law enforcement officers deployed in D.C. have been seen wearing masks, something Smith said she has "not gotten clarity on." 

"Some of our federal partners do have the ability to kind of cover their faces. And it's really about making sure that there are no threats coming to them once they've cleared the area," said Smith. 

But Bowser took a different stance. 

"We believe in our environment, an urban environment, that there's no reason for any official to wear a mask," said Bowser. "Law enforcement or people that are in the umbrella of the Justice Department, you don't see them doing that." 

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) announced on Wednesday that they are planning on reintroducing a bill to require all federal police officers, including ICE and U.S. Park Police, to use body cameras and dashboard cameras. The announcement comes after video of federal law enforcement officers "using excessive force, obscuring their own faces with masks, and refusing requests to identify the agency they belong to" according to the press release. 

"Every day Washingtonians are confronted with new outrages from Trump’s unwanted and unjustified occupation of D.C., including arrests using excessive force that put people in unnecessary danger," Beyer said. "Many of these encounters have been captured on video taken by bystanders or journalists, and I cannot help but wonder what we are not seeing because it is not caught on video. I have the same concern with ICE raids in Northern Virginia, which like the federal escalation in DC, are carried out by masked agents in unmarked vehicles who give no justification for their actions. The Administration’s use of such draconian tactics is designed to stoke fear and intimidate law-abiding people who have done nothing wrong. These abuses of power cry out for transparency and accountability, and our bill would answer that need. Every one of these officers should be wearing a body camera."

Accusations of manipulated crime statistics

What they're saying:

Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith faced questions on accusations of manipulated crime statistics and an investigation from the Department of Justice. 

"We will cooperate with any investigation," said Bowser. "We know that crime has gone down in our city and it has gone down precipitously over the last two years because of a lot of hard work, changes to our public safety ecosystem, including changes to the law. And we know that those facts don't comport to what some people are saying. But those are the facts. So any questions about data from DOJ we will happily answer."