Camden County Commissioners Ban Ski Masks in Specific Locations
Some Call Ban Crime-Fighting Tool, Others Call It Problematic
CAMDEN – The Camden County Commissioners recently adopted a resolution that bans people who intend to commit a crime or threaten another person from wearing a ski mask or a balaclava on county-owned property.
The resolution applies to areas such as New Camden Park, Pyne Poynt Park, Von Nieda Park, and Wiggins Waterfront Park and took effect immediately upon its passage on June 20, Daniel Keashen, a Camden County spokesperson, told TAPinto Camden.
“We want to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe in those (and other county-owned) venues, and this resolution will help us do that,” Keashen told TAPinto Camden.
Violators face a $250 fine, according to the resolution.
Keashen was asked how someone seeing a person wearing a mask would know if that person intended to commit a crime.
Keashen responded, “This resolution does not identify medical masks or someone using a medical mask, the resolution is clear in what facial concealments are and what law enforcement will be trying to eliminate."
Jim Sullivan, ACLU NJ’s deputy policy director, disagreed. “There is no proof or evidence that wearing a ski mask or balaclava means a person is about to commit a crime,” he said. "Ski masks have become fashionable for many young people in the past three or four years, which (makes the resolution) extremely troubling because it is easy to see how it can be used as a reason to stop and search people who have done nothing wrong.”
Sullivan added that the resolution's wording “makes it nearly impossible to determine why a person is wearing a ski mask or balaclava. At best, this will be a meaningless law that will not be able to be enforced correctly. At worst, it will cause an increase in innocent people being stopped, searched and possibly detained.”
Vic Wiener, a staff attorney at the Juvenile Law Center, agreed with Sullivan’s assessment and added a few more concerns.
“Some may also have this idea of ‘It is just an accessory (and) it is not that big of a deal,’” Wiener said. “(But) when you are young and when you are a teenager, your social standing is a core part of your identity and following fashion trends (is part of) being able to fit in.”