By Vanguard Staff
State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) on Monday announced the introduction of Senate Bill 805, known as the No Vigilantes Act, which aims to strengthen California’s laws against police impersonation and establish new identification requirements for individuals claiming to act under law enforcement authority.
The legislation comes amid a reported rise in impersonation incidents and public concern over aggressive and anonymous law enforcement operations, especially those tied to immigration enforcement. SB 805 would expand existing statutes around police impersonation and mandate that all law enforcement officers operating in California display clear identification, including a name or badge number.
“In a normal world, this legislation would be unnecessary and unheard of,” Pérez said. “But these are extraordinary times and we must protect Californians from fear of police impersonation during these unprecedented times.”
The bill responds to a wave of reported incidents nationwide involving individuals posing as federal immigration officers. In one case, a South Carolina man was charged with kidnapping after allegedly detaining a group of Latino men while impersonating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. In North Carolina, another man was accused of sexually assaulting a woman after threatening her with deportation while pretending to be with ICE.
“These cases undermine public trust in law enforcement, especially among vulnerable individuals, and pose a threat to public safety,” Pérez said.
While ICE has denounced such acts, critics point out that the agency’s inconsistent use of visible identification and widespread deployment of masked agents has made it increasingly difficult for the public to distinguish between legitimate law enforcement personnel and those with criminal intent.
SB 805 would not only enhance impersonation penalties, but also authorize law enforcement to verify the identity of any individual claiming to be a peace officer if there is reasonable suspicion of impersonation or a credible safety concern. The bill also bans bounty hunters from participating in any immigration enforcement activities within the state.
“We’ve seen guns pulled on civilians and people snatched off the streets and in workplaces by masked people in civilian clothing and unmarked cars,” said Pérez. “This creates tremendous confusion, fear, and mistrust in communities across the state. We need to protect our residents—and that means knowing who is actually conducting law enforcement operations on our streets.”
The No Vigilantes Act is expected to draw support from immigrant rights groups, civil liberties organizations, and community-based legal advocates, many of whom have called for stricter regulation and transparency in law enforcement activity amid rising concerns of overreach and abuse.
The bill will be considered in committee hearings later this summer.
