But the proposal is sparking debate online over whether such a chaotic agency would follow the rules. And perhaps more importantly, whether adding the technology is the right solution when simply adding names to officers’ uniforms would be a more practical solution.
Axios first reported on the proposed legislation on Tuesday, and a representative for Torres told Gizmodo that he plans to introduce the House bill next week.
“The concept is that this might limit confrontation with an officer who might go south,” Benny Stanislavski, communications director for Rep. Torres, told Gizmodzo on Wednesday. “Anyone can obtain a photo remotely without contacting an officer, as we have seen examples of ICE obscuring their faces and badges and not responding positively to requests for identification.”
legislation is called Quick Identification (QR) Act, and would require the Department of Homeland Security to create a verification page that lists:
- Full name of officer
- badge number
- Agency (ICE or CBP)
- Operational Unit or Office (Field Office or Sector)
- Photo Verification (optional)
- Verification timestamp confirming active duty status
The law specifically states that the pages should not list officials’ home addresses or phone numbers.
Many undercover cops currently on America’s streets do not wear badges or do not wear other means to allow the public to easily identify them. President Donald Trump’s masked goons are currently terrorizing the country, arresting residents under false pretenses, attacking protesters, and even shooting and killing a woman in Minneapolis. This is all in the name of “immigration enforcement,” although Trump’s real goal is to expel anyone who is not white from the country and violently punish those who oppose him.
And Torres really thinks QR codes can help. Stanislavski pointed to some police uniforms in the Dominican Republic that have integrated QR codes for identification purposes. Below you can see the QR code on the left arm of the uniform.
© Shutterstock / Lev Radin
Notably, police uniforms in the Dominican Republic include the officer’s agency, rank, and name in addition to the QR code. And it seems like including it in the legislation proposed by Torres would make much more sense than requiring QR codes alone. If officers can only be identified by those members of the public who have phones – almost a kind of tech tax – then where does that leave those who don’t have access to phones for one reason or another?
Torres’ proposal has sparked considerable debate on social media about what the legislation could actually accomplish, with some expressing extreme skepticism that it would provide greater accountability. “Scanning officers’ QR codes as they punch my face in and steal my phone,” one BlueSky user wrote in response to Torres.
That joke about the stolen phone is likely referring to a new article from ProPublica about a 16-year-old boy in Houston, Texas, who was captured by federal agents and recorded much of the encounter. Agents took his phone, and he used the Find My feature to track it to a vending machine where people can sell used phones. According to ProPublica, the vending machine was near an ICE detention center and agents apparently sold her phone.
The ICE agent who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, identified by the Star Tribune as Jonathan Ross, had his face covered and did not appear to have any identification that could personally identify him. On his chest and back was written “POLICE” in large letters and “FEDERAL AGENT” in very small letters.
Ross was identified by a local newspaper only after DHS said he had experienced a previous incident with an immigrant in a car. This allowed Star Tribune reporters to scour federal court records to find out who they were talking about. Without that detail, it’s unclear how long it would have taken to learn Ross’ identity. And it remains to be seen whether QR codes will be of any help.
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