Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America’s Streets Act
The Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America’s Streets Act would place tight limits on the use of federal law enforcement officers and members of the armed forces for crowd control inside the United States. It would require clear, visible identification for officers involved in crowd-control activities, prohibit concealing identifiers or using unmarked vehicles, and generally restrict such activities to federal property and the immediate vicinity unless a state or local written request for assistance is made or the Insurrection Act is invoked. The bill also prohibits arrests by personnel acting in violation of these rules and creates a public notice requirement within 24 hours after deployment, including deployment details, numbers of personnel, the mission, and custody information for any civilians detained. The objective is to curb what its authors view as authoritarian policing tactics and to increase transparency and accountability for federal crowd-control actions. Key provisions define who counts as a federal law enforcement officer or armed-forces member, specify required identifying information, establish strict limits on where federal personnel may engage in crowd control, set conditions for exceptions (state/local requests and the Insurrection Act), prohibit unlawful arrests, and mandate prompt public reporting of deployments and related details. Sponsor information indicates a broad coalition led by Rep. Bonamici and several co-sponsors, with referrals to the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees. The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress on July 17, 2025.
Key Points
- 1Definitions establishing who is covered: federal law enforcement officers (including federal employees and applicable contractors) and members of the armed forces, with the term “law enforcement function” covering prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, or incarceration of violations of law.
- 2Identification and vehicle rules: officers must display identifying information (agency and last name or unique identifier; armed forces members must include rank). It prohibits obscuring IDs and the use of unmarked vehicles during crowd-control activities.
- 3Crowd-control geographic limits and exceptions: federal personnel may generally operate only on federal property or the immediate vicinity (sidewalks and the public street immediately adjacent to federal buildings). Exceptions allow federal help if requested in writing by a state governor and local government official, or if the Insurrection Act is invoked.
- 4Arrest limitations: it is unlawful for federal officers or armed-forces members to arrest individuals when performing crowd-control activities in violation of the identification/vehicle rules or the geographic limitations.
- 5Public notice requirement: within 24 hours of deployment for crowd-control incidents, the deploying agency must post on its public website details including deployment date, number of personnel, mission description, locations of detained civilians and custody information, and a copy of any written request for assistance.