ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The International Association of Chiefs of Police, one of the nation's largest police organizations, has adopted two resolutions focused on immigration enforcement operations. One talks about the dangers of, quote, "inflammatory rhetoric" from influential leaders. The other warns that when agents cover their faces it can, quote, "create confusion, fear and mistrust among community members and responding agencies." It's rare for the organization to make this kind of a statement, and IACP deputy executive director Terrence Cunningham is with us now to explain the thinking behind it. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
TERRENCE CUNNINGHAM: Hi, Ari. Great to be on. Thank you.
SHAPIRO: Why did you think it was important to put these out now?
CUNNINGHAM: So we heard directly from our members - we're about 35,000 members - that they were really concerned, first about the face covering aspect of the first resolution, and then the - later, we also heard about the - you know, kind of the rise in the incendiary, you know, rhetoric that we're hearing out there, both from politicians and from, you know, community leaders and other folks in the public.
SHAPIRO: Well, let me ask specifically about the face coverings.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: Immigration and Customs Enforcement says this is necessary to prevent doxing and assaults on officers. Do they have a point?
CUNNINGHAM: Clearly, we have seen a rise in doxing on officers - not just federal agents, but on local officers as well. But from our perspective - from an IACP perspective, we think this is a real slippery slope. You know, from a police legitimacy standpoint, the public needs to know who it is that they're interacting with, whether it's, you know, when you're looking at somebody and having a conversation with them, you can see empathy in their face. You can have a conversation, understand who that person is. You need to be able to identify that person should something happen. We feel strongly that the face coverings are inappropriate in most cases in policing in a democratic society in 2025.
SHAPIRO: You also, and I'm quoting here, "urge public figures to communicate responsibly, especially given the amplifying effect of social media." Can you give us an example of the kind of rhetoric you're concerned about?
CUNNINGHAM: I mean, there's - really, to be honest with you, I actually hearken back to 2016, where we saw the five Dallas officers were shot and killed.
SHAPIRO: But you're putting this out in 2025. There's a lot of...
CUNNINGHAM: Right.
SHAPIRO: ...Inflammatory rhetoric in 2025. Is this specifically...
CUNNINGHAM: Right.
SHAPIRO: ...About the kinds of things the president and his Cabinet members have said?
CUNNINGHAM: It's not just about the administration. It's about, you know, public officials. It's also about, you know, leaders in the community, and it's about the public in general. So I think it...
SHAPIRO: But of course, immigration enforcement is the top priority of this president and this administration. This president is very active on social media, is known for saying inflammatory things. Federal agents have been wearing face coverings. People could be forgiven for interpreting this to be a statement about the administration.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, and again, that's why I hearken back to it that it's actually not directly pointed at the administration. You know, we feel, from our perspective, that law enforcement officers are really facing unprecedented scrutiny and hostility in the streets. And we're starting to see attacks on officers again as a result.
SHAPIRO: Tell me about the concern that this will create confusion, fear and mistrust among community members. What are you worried about?
CUNNINGHAM: Well, again, I go back to - I look at just earlier this - late spring, early summer, when we saw the protests out there in LA. You saw the LAPD officers standing out there in uniform, their faces uncovered. Literally, their last names were on tape on their helmets so you could, you know, identify them easily. They had their badge numbers on. And when we see folks out there, whether they're federal agents or they're state or local officers, and they're wearing face coverings and they're not identifying themselves appropriately, one of the - our major concerns is blue-on-blue actions. You know, a police officer arriving on a scene because somebody calls and says they see a couple of people out there. I'm not sure exactly who they are. They have face masks on, and they're trying to force somebody into a car. And, you know, state or local officers show up, and whether it's a federal agent or a state or local agent that's not properly identifying themselves, you always worry about those type of incidents there.
And also, to be quite honest with you, Ari, you've - we've seen recently where there have been robberies, there's been rapes, there's been, you know, attempted kidnappings as a result of people impersonating both federal agents, you know, and specifically, really, federal agents, with masks on.
SHAPIRO: Does the timing of this have anything to do with the federal takeover of D.C. police?
CUNNINGHAM: No, it didn't. As a matter of fact, the resolutions came out prior to the expansion of federal agents and National Guard in D.C.
SHAPIRO: Terrence Cunningham is the deputy executive director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Thank you very much.
CUNNINGHAM: Thanks, Ari. Appreciate it. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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