Governor Signs Senate Bill 480

SACRAMENTO – California State Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) released the following statement:

Governor Newsom has signed into law Senator Archuleta’s Senate Bill 480, the prohibiting law enforcement agencies from authorizing their employees from wearing uniforms that are camouflage or substantially similar to those of the United States Armed Forces. “Our police are not a military force,” said Senator Archuleta. “And it should not be made deliberately difficult for a member of the public to distinguish between the two.”

Senate Bill 480 is one of the first legislative efforts in the nation to address the confusion between members of the armed forces and law enforcement. The bill protects service members, law enforcement officers, and civilians by ensuring that there are clear identifying features on police uniforms that distinguishes them from the military and prohibits the use of camouflage unless it is being worn by tactical teams, such as SWAT and Special Operations.

“The main objective of military camouflage is to deceive the enemy as to the presence, position, and intentions of military formations. But, police officers protect and serve their communities. Deceiving the public should never be the purpose of law enforcement officers performing their duties in America,” said Senator Archuleta.

Since the introduction of this bill, similar legislation has been proposed on the federal level as the nation works to rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and the public.

Senator Archuleta is proud to author the measure and says “This is not only a necessary step in promoting the safety of the public but also in helping to ensure our service members and law enforcement officers can perform their respective duties to the best of their abilities.”